


Why Cute Witches Should Deal With Outsiders (And Their Lairs)

by Dock872210



Category: The Witch's House
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Character Death, F/F, Horror, Lesbian Character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-04
Updated: 2019-03-08
Packaged: 2019-11-14 03:24:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 27
Words: 71,379
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18044564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dock872210/pseuds/Dock872210
Summary: [AU] The Witch's House has been a menace to the world for a long, long time. Many have tried to vanquish this threat, but none have succeeded. Will this latest attempt fail like all the rest? Or will the mysterious addition of a particular young woman with a strange connection to the House allow our band of heroes make history? Only time will tell. [X-posted on FFN]





	1. Prologue: Conception

**Disclaimer: I don't own Witch's House or any of the IPs from which my imported characters originate.**

**Why Cute Witches Should Deal With Outsiders (And Their Lairs)**

**Prologue: Conception**

**Beta: AllForFire**

* * *

Duke Elliot Beauclerk stood in the centre of his laboratory and surveyed the elaborate runic circle he'd drawn on the stone floor with meticulous precision in goat's blood. As he carefully looked over his work, he could barely contain his excitement at what he was about to accomplish.

_Finally after years of hard work, I'll achieve my dream!_ The young aristocratic brunette in his thirties thought to himself with a pleased smile as he finished checking the elaborate spell circle and was certain that everything was perfect.

Looking up he eyed his sacrifices, a quartet of crying infants held firmly in the hands of the four stone golems standing in each cardinal direction. Two boys and two girls. Just as the ritual dictated was necessary.

Nodding to himself as a final confirmation that all was ready, the young duke took a moment to bask in his success. After he'd finished his schooling at Oxford, he'd poured tens of thousands of pounds into his occult research and spent the best years of his life toiling away at learning the mystic arts.

_After all that effort, I can finally accomplish the greatest feat in all of Occultism: the summoning of the devil!_

One of the children made a particularly shrill wail and the Duke was drawn out of his self-congratulatory thoughts to look at the child. For a brief moment the sight of the innocent babe invoked pity and a sliver of doubt, but he rapidly dismissed the weakness.

_As terrible as it sounds, sacrifices must be made, and these children are mine on the altar of greatness._

With his conviction reaffirmed, the Duke looked to his golems.

"Bleed the children," The duke ordered the automatons. With the mechanical detachment that befit the constructs' nature, they proceeded to literally rip the children apart and let their blood and innards pour into the confines of the circle.

Even as his familiars carried out their bloody task, the occultist began to chant in a blasphemous language that was not meant for the human tongue. His words sounded like the cross between the most wondrous music imaginable and the guttural cries of a foul beast. They carried the power to at once stir the coldest of hearts to rapturous joy whilst also sending the purest of souls into the depths of despair.

As he chanted, he watched in satisfaction as the wretched remains of his sacrifices begin to glow with unholy light before beginning to move of their own accord. Slowly at first but with steadily growing speed, the blood and guts became a swirling whirlpool of gore.

All the while, the duke continued his chanting unabated even as the ritual pushed him to his limits and drained him of his magical energy. He refused to stop though, not even when he felt his reserves start to run dry and the ritual started to leech from his life force instead. How could he when he was on the cusp of glory?

It was as he was on the verge of passing out from the strain that the ritual entered its next phase. With the sound of cracking glass, a small dark fissure appeared in the centre of the spiraling mass of gore and slowly began to grow.

Seeing this, the Duke willingly poured even more of his life energy into the ritual and intensified his chanting. In response the crack in the walls of reality begin to grow even more quickly, until moments later, there before him, hovering in the air was a portal to hell itself.

It was not anything like what he'd envisioned. There was no fire or brimstone on the other side. Instead there was simply a vista of infinite emptiness. The Duke just _knew_ however that this was hell.

_Perhaps I've just opened my portal into some part that's not engulfed in flames?_ The aristocrat mused as he reached with shaking hands into the pouch he wore on his belt to pull out a restorative potion which he immediately downed to recover some of his lost vitality.

He'd barely finishing swallowing the bitter concoction, and felt the slight rush of energy that accompanied the consumption of the alchemical creation, when his view of the terrain beyond his portal was obstructed.

Between one moment and the next, faster than the human could possibly comprehend a creature had come to stand before him.

Its massive body that seemed to fill the length and breadth of the large basement that the Duke used as his laboratory was a gaseous, shapeless form, but that barely registered in his mind. Instead, the human's attention was wholly occupied by the pair of immense golden eyes that stared down at him. That and the sheer awe inspiring aura that radiated from the _god_ that was before him.

"Hail, Mighty Prince of Darkness," The Duke said sycophantically as he took one knee before his new god. "Your humble servant offers his humblest apologies for having beseeched your presence."

"Prince of Darkness? You think I'm Lucifer?" The great deity said in a voice that seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at the same time, his tone tinged with amusement.

"You are not the Morning Star?" The Duke asked, confused and suddenly fearful of having offended the divine being. Tentatively, he tried to correct his mistake.

"My deepest apologies, my lord!" The aristocrat said with the deepest bow he could manage.

"Mah! It's not a big deal." The supreme being said dismissively. "Just don't make the mistake again."

For a brief moment, the Duke felt a surge of disappointment at failing to summon the devil like he'd planned, but quickly dismissed the silly notion. He might have summoned the wrong divinity, but there was no doubt that he was in the presence of a god and that was all that mattered. Who cared which great god of the abyss became his patron? That he'd called forth a being of supreme power and would soon reap the rewards thereof was all that mattered.

"Then might I ask, o great one, what I should call you?"

"A name? Well, I don't really feel like giving you my true name. That's kinda important for Outsiders like me, you know?"

At the mention of Outsider, the Duke's heart skipped a beat in shock. The god before him was an _Outsider!?_ If that was true, and he had no reason to doubt it as no one but an Outsider would be suicidal enough to risk the ire of their kind by impersonating one, then he had outdone himself. Outsiders were beings of immense power worshiped as gods across multiple worlds.

"I completely understand, my lord." The human told his new liege.

"Good. Good. Now why did you tear a hole into the Realm between Realms for anyways? Not that I'm complaining mind you, since it's opened your world up to me and a new world to explore is always fun, but it's not exactly a safe thing to do. I mean there are plenty of less than friendly things, unlike me, who tend to wander through there."

"Then it is my great fortune to have attracted your attention, o august master!"

"Yeah, it really is. I mean, what if it was one of the Collectors instead? I'd imagine one of those crazies like the Darkling would just eat this little universe of yours whole just to get a little power boost."

The Duke shuddered at the fact that if he had just been a little more unfortunate he might have doomed his world. He didn't dwell on the thought though. It wasn't the time for it, not when the most important part of his plan was at hand.

He was about to speak and take the all important step when the Outsider continued.

"Oh! I recognize that scent on you. You're one of those aren't you?"

The occultist was thrown off by the sudden question and remained respectfully silent as he tried to puzzle out what the god meant.

"You are!" The divinity declared with certainty. "You're one of those people who summon things beyond their ken in the hopes of getting some kind of boon from them, aren't you?"

"Guilty as charged, my lord." The Duke admitted freely. There was no reason to lie to his god, besides he was fairly certain it would be a futile thing to even attempt. While the Outsider gave no indication of having done so yet, mind reading was one of the many, many powers that had been attributed to these supreme beings.

"So what are you willing to offer in exchange?"

"My very soul, my lord!" The Duke said earnestly.

The great Outsider chuckled, a sound that was both wondrous and horrible at the same time.

"I have no use for souls, mortal. That said, in gratitude for opening the way for me into your world I'm willing to barter. In fact, I'm generous enough to grant you the boon you desire for a price that you're perfectly willing to accept."

"R-Really!?" The Duke asked in shock.

"Of course!"

"You have my undying gratitude, my lord!" The Duke said sincerely. At last! All the sacrifices he had made to make this day happen would finally be vindicated!

"You want to leave a lasting legacy of power, wealth and prestige, don't you?"

The Outsider's declaration caught the Duke flat footed and his face twisted into horrified realization at the same time that a evil grin appeared below the creature's eyes. That was what he wanted in the broad sense, yes, but not worded _like that_. If the god granted his boon on those terms there was no telling just what form his hard earned reward would take. Hastily, the human opened his mouth to object, to correct the monster, but he suddenly found himself mute.

Chuckling maliciously, the Outsider nevertheless spoke evenly. "Well, wish granted!"

As the eldritch abomination finished speaking, the whole room froze. All around the Duke, with the portal as its point of origin, a wave of raw power rushed out. It washed over him, and the Duke, still frozen in time, felt part of him be _taken_ by the Outsider's power for whatever malicious purpose it had in mind.

As his vision blacked out, a single thought permeated his mind. _What have I done!?_

* * *

The Duke slept the dreamless sleep of a dead man for what felt like eons. It was a slumber he wished he could enjoy for all eternity. Better that than face whatever horror he had unleashed upon his world through his foolishness.

His rest was not as final as he hoped, however, as he was slowly roused once more to wakefulness by the gentle shaking of his shoulder.

Groggily, he opened his eyes and turned to glare at whichever presumptuous servant that dared come into his laboratory and disobey his direct orders to keep out.

He was shocked however when the one who woke him was no servant at all. Instead, it was a little girl who could not have been older than five. She had fair skin, waist-length purple hair that flowed down her back that was topped with a large red bow, and inhuman golden cat-like eyes.

His heart froze in horror at those eyes. Those all too familiar and terrifying eyes.

He was so shaken by those golden orbs, that he _almost_ failed to catch what the girl said next.

"Daddy, are you okay?" The impossible child said, even as the Outsider's mocking laughter rang in his ears.

* * *

**Hello everyone and thanks for reading my latest fic. I hope you've enjoyed it so far, as dark as it got in some places. That's a sign by the way. This is going to be a dark fic.**

**Well, that and also a very derivative fic. I'd almost go so far as to call this an Original Work, though on the advice of my friend E4E I'm labeling it, as you should be aware by now, as a Witch's House fic since that's where the inspiration for much of this fic was drawn from.**

**That being the case, most people familiar with Witch's House should be able to tell who the little girl at the end of the prologue was: Ellen. Or at least this fic's version of her. So what do you guys think about my origin for her? Give me your thoughts in a review.**

**Oh and one last thing, the Duke is a self-serving, vacillating person. At least I hope that's how I made him appear. Well, let me know if I succeeded.**

**Till next time!**


	2. The Mission Begins

**Disclaimer: I don't own Witch's House or any of the IPs from which my imported characters originate.**

**Why Cute Witches Should Deal With Outsiders (And Their Lairs)**

**Chapter 1: The Mission Begins**

**Beta: AllForFire**

* * *

Late at night, out in the middle of the rural American Midwest, there stood an ominous looking Victorian mansion surrounded by an extensive set of grounds that was protected from the rest of the world by a set of high, ivy covered walls.

A short distance down the road from the estate's gates, there was a single armored personnel carrier parked along the curb. Standing around the vehicle were a team of soldiers dressed in dark fatigues and tactical vests.

Among their number was Viola Smith, an eighteen year old girl with blond hair tied into two small braids with messy bangs that hung about her face, green eyes, fair skin and a slender frame. She fidgeted nervously as she looked at the house that was the objective of their mission.

"Hey, it's okay to be nervous. It's perfectly reasonable when tangling with the infamous Witch's House." The team's sniper, Hans Braunlich, told her kindly. At six and a half feet tall, he towered over her. That, plus his snow white hair, bloody red eyes, and somewhat tanned skin should have made him intimidating, but he had been nothing but kind to Viola so far.

She nodded uncertainly. "Than-"

"Hey, stop babying the girl." A man of Asian descent with a large and stocky frame, a babyish face, brown eyes and close-cropped black hair shouted. "If she's going to be part of the team, she's got to shape up or ship out."

He was Frank Michaels, the team's heavy weapons specialist, as evidenced by the massive minigun he carried like a protagonist straight out of a cheesy action movie thanks to some weight reduction runes.

"I have to agree with Frank." A woman with long golden blonde hair styled entirely in large coils and held in place by a set of ribbons agreed.

She was Hazel Edelfelt, the team's mage, and she was the most unwelcoming of Viola's new teammates.

"I don't really understand why the girl is here, it's not like we need another dedicated mage on our team when we already have me." The older blonde said with an arrogant little flip of her hair. "And now we have two of them?"

As she finished, she gestured with annoyance at Viola's dad.

While Viola herself quailed a little under Hazel's hostility, her dad, Paul, shrugged it off.

"I disagree," The muscular middle-aged man with spiky light brown hair, brown eyes, and thin facial hair around his chin said calmly. "My summoning magic and Viola's space-time magic will enhance the team's repertoire significantly."

"Then you're seriously overestimating your abilities." Hazel sniffed disdainfully. "At the level of skill the both of you have, you're more likely to hinder us than help."

"Gotta agree with Hazel there," Frank chimed in uncharitably. "You two are little more than civilians."

Dad seemed to take offense and turned to glare at the Asian man, and looked ready to say something that would have made the argument even more heated. Thankfully, their team leader stepped in before Dad could put his foot in his mouth.

"Stow it." Marcus Beckendorf ordered. "All of you."

Marcus was a well-built African-American man with a permanent scowl, muscles like a bodybuilder and hands like baseball catcher's mitts. An intimidating appearance that he supplemented with an aura of lethal professionalism and a commanding presence. It was no surprise to Viola why he was the team's leader.

"Did you lot forget that the Joint Chiefs themselves ordered that the Smiths accompany us on this mission?" Marcus asked his old teammates.

Frank and Hazel nodded, though the mage looked distinctly unhappy having to do so.

"Good. Then quit your bellyaching."

"Gotcha boss." Frank agreed snapping a teasing salute. "Just hope that those orders don't get us all killed."

"You and me both." Marcus agreed with his own frustrated sigh. He seemed to catch himself though and with an apologetic grin he turned to look at Viola and her dad. "No offense to you two, but considering the danger involved in this mission I honestly have no idea why a pair of novices like you are here."

"The brass must have a good reason." Dad replied with a shrug.

_So do I._ The young witch thought to herself as she recalled all her dreams of the House and the lonely girl that lived inside.

"And you two have no clue what that might be?" Marcus pressed.

Dad just shook his head. On her part Viola did her very best to do nothing to give away her own suspicions. Whatever the reason she'd been allowed to join this dangerous mission into the Witch's House, she wasn't going to question it. Not when entering it had been something she'd wanted for years.

_I have to see if there is_ any _truth to my dreams._

Apparently clueless to her thoughts, Marcus gave a frustrated grunt and changed the topic.

"Alright, then the banter's over." The team leader said as he straightened his posture, the whole team following his cue that it was time to get serious. "Before we rush off into hell, let's review our mission one last time."

Everyone nodded seriously.

Seeing he had their undivided attention, Marcus continued.

"We're here to investigate the temporally displaced mansion and estate known as the Witch's House and to eliminate the threat it poses."

Viola's mind wandered a little as she recalled the dark history of the Witch's House.

It was a property that seemed to randomly appear all over the world and was a hotbed of monstrous activity, its mere presence stirring up hostile magical creatures and sometimes seemingly creating new breeds of abominations.

All previous attempts to investigate and/or destroy it had failed with total losses on the part of anyone who dared to invade or attack it. Considering the strength of some of those teams, it was strongly suspected that the House was the work of an Outsider, a godly extra-dimensional being, or at least a creature of similar power. Though why such a being, if it was truly responsible for the House, would create it or use it in such a way remained a mystery.

Viola's trip back to her schoolroom recollections were cut shot, when Marcus asked if everyone was ready. Not wanting to be caught daydreaming while he was giving his final briefing, and thus exposing her lack of professionalism, she hastily nodded alongside everyone else.

"Right, then let's move out." Marcus said as he took point and led them up the last stretch of road to the House's grounds.

"You know I really wish we could just use the Stryker," Frank said wistfully, nodding to the armored vehicle they'd abandoned.

"Yeah, and piss the House off before we even get onto its grounds?" Hans shot back. "Or did you forget what it did when the Chinese tried to send a tank battalion against it back in '78?"

Viola shuddered. The photos of what had become of the tanks and their crews in that confrontation was terror-inducing. Whatever the House had unleashed against the hapless tankers, and till today scholars still debated what it was, had melded them and their tanks together into grotesque, still-living fusions of man and machine. Abominations that were immobile and harmless to the House but lived in perpetual, immortal pain. For despite the best efforts of the authorities, the poor tortured souls _still_ lived.

_Would Ellen really do that? Be that monstrous?_

Viola had to be sure. She had to know just what kind of person her best friend really was.

"Right, you got me there." Frank conceded. "Let's not piss off the House's owner and give whoever it is a reason to break the rule that it doesn't attack people until they cross into its boundaries."

"Yeah, that would make our lives a lot easier." Hans agreed with a crooked smile.

"Will you two pipe down?" Hazel asked with a hint of long suffering annoyance.

Both men shot each other amused smirks but kept quiet.

Viola blinked at that. _Was their banter just now an attempt to goad Hazel into saying something?_

"Frank, Hans, don't let your guards down." Marcus warned the two men as they neared the gates to the House's grounds.

"Wouldn't dream of it, boss." Hans replied earnestly, even as Frank nodded.

Marcus glanced at both men for a moment and nodded. Apparently, they'd passed whatever assessment of readiness that the team leader was judging them by.

He had just turned to face the gates again when it swung open for them in welcome.

As one the team turned to Hazel.

The mage just shook her head slowly, her whole body tense and the feeling of magic emanating from her as she primed herself for combat.

"That wasn't me." She hissed warily. "I didn't do _anything_."

They all tensed at that, expecting some kind of preemptive attack.

A long, heart-pounding moment later, nothing happened, and the team slowly relaxed.

"Maybe the House is welcoming us in?" Viola offered tentatively, even though she just _knew_ that was exactly what Ellen was doing. Though how she knew that was utterly beyond her. Maybe it was just her wishful thinking?

Most of the team shot Viola incredulous looks. Frank though was the exception.

With a bloodthirsty grin on his face, he cried out belligerently. "Well, if that's the case, then let's not disappoint."

With that said, he hefted his gun into a ready position and marched fearlessly through the open gates.

Viola moved to follow, but a gesture from Marcus had her and the rest of the team holding position. He waited for Frank to walk a good distance ahead before finally letting them catch up with him.

He walked cautiously though, and the rest of the team followed his example. All of them caught up in his wariness about an attack. Up ahead Frank had stopped and was eying his surroundings with the same watchfulness.

"No opposition?" Dad asked in a whisper. "Isn't that strange?"

Marcus only nodded.

_Oh! So that's why we're so on edge._ Viola thought. The House had the bad habit of hitting its victims just as they crossed its threshold. So the fact that nothing had jumped out to attack Frank was decidedly odd and that was what had made everyone so cautious.

She wondered how long they could keep up this high level of vigilance though, it was only a couple of minutes and her nerves were already fraying.

_Is this exactly what Ellen wants? Us to be so tensed up that we end up jumping at even our own shadows?_

Unfortunately, that did not seem to be the case, for as soon as the thought crossed Viola's mind there was suddenly a wretched-sounding moan that echoed across the grounds. Spinning to its source, they found a pack of what must be two dozen naked, asexual humanoid corpses shambling towards them.

Without any hesitation, Frank immediately opened fire on them with his minigun, unleashing a barrage of powerful bursts of raw destructive magic with each shot. In mere moments, the two dozen monsters were dealt with but that was little comfort as their total numbers swelled.

More and more of these corpse-like monsters seemed to emerge from the gloom that hung over the grounds and join the horde shuffling towards them.

"There's no end to them." Frank complained, though Viola sensed a sliver of fear in his voice.

"Shut up! Just keep shooting!" Marcus ordered as he too opened up with his assault rifle, his blessed bullets putting down a monster with every hit but barely thinning the herd.

Hans was having more luck on that front. The magic bullets he fired from his long-barreled flintlock musket, streaked through the air and zigzagged through the ranks of the abominations in trails of blue light. In their wake, dozens of the creatures fell dead with every shot.

Hazel too was putting quite a dent into the advancing monsters. She was sending a veritable elemental storm downrange at the horde. Everything from fireballs to wind blades to earthen lances to lightning bolts.

Dad was pulling his weight where he could. He'd summoned a pack of hellhounds and had sent them to harass the House's creations. The fell beasts had taken to dragging away any zombie they could and tearing them apart.

Despite everyone's best efforts though, the size of the swarm just kept growing and was hobbling ever closer. Thankfully, Viola had something in mind that would solve _that_ problem.

"Hold them off a bit longer!" She shouted to the team as she scrambled to craft her spell. "I'm working on something."

"And what can a little girl do to save us from this?" Hazel scoffed as she summoned a tornado to suck up a whole flank of the undead swarm.

"Shut up Hazel!" Marcus roared. "Form up on Viola!"

Turning to glance at the teenager briefly, Marcus whispered as he and the team followed his orders by forming a protective circle around the teenage witch. "Whatever you're cooking up, it better work or we're dead."

"Don't worry! I've got this." Viola assured the man, but he'd already returned his attention to the fight and probably didn't hear her.

"They just keep coming!" Marcus cursed as the horde flowed around their position and completely surrounded them. "Shit!"

"Done!" Viola exclaimed as her magic exploded out from her. It spread over the team and the area immediately around them.

"A sealed space!?" Hazel noted in shock, even as she distractedly threw a fireball into a zombie trying to exploit her inattention by leaping at her and reduced it to ash.

"Yup," Viola confirmed proudly. "Now once we finish off the remainder of these zombies inside, we'll be safe."

"That right?" Frank asked with his bloodthirsty grin once more gracing his face. "Then let's kill us some zombies!"

"Here here." Hans agreed as both men let loose on the handful of zombies trapped inside Viola's sealed space with the team.

Between them and the rest of the team, it took less than three minutes to finish the monsters off. Viola was still riding high on being the one to have saved everyone, so she was caught completely off guard when a sudden burst of pain struck her.

She clutched her head and grimaced as a burst of knowledge suddenly flooded her mind, with the accompanying feeling of a white-hot needle piercing her brain.

It was information about the zombies. Apparently they were the animated corpses of those within the House whose ego or favor with Ellen was insufficient. Part of their transformation into such by the House included a degeneration of all outward symbols of their self, which is why regardless of origin they all appear as naked asexual humanoid corpses.

_Ew gross! Really Ellen!? This is what you do to your enemies?_

"Hey Viola, you alright?" Hans asks, coming over to check on her. "The spell putting too much strain on you?"

"Maybe just a little," Viola lied. It was not like she could just tell him that her friend, the Mistress of the Witch's House, had helpfully given her an infodump on the monsters they were just fighting. "It's fine though. I can handle it."

"You're sure?" Hans added, concerned.

Viola nodded and offered him a reassuring smile.

"Well then good job on the spell. It really saved our hides."

"Hans' got it right." Frank chimed in with his own agreement.

"Yes, good job." Hazel said sarcastically. "You saved us from the zombie hordes, but now we're trapped here inside this little sealed space."

"No, we're not," Viola corrected. "I'm perfectly able to move our little corner of sealed space around while keeping us largely cut off from the rest of the world and thus enemies."

Hazel looked at her incredulously. "That's not possible. That's not something someone of your caliber should be capable of."

"That just shows how badly you've underestimated us, doesn't it, Miss Edelfelt?" Dad told the arrogant woman with a taunting smirk.

The older woman looked offended and seemed ready to tear Dad a new one but Ellen decided to preempt her. With a terrifying wail, a massive amount of force slammed into the walls of Viola's sealed space.

The young space-time witch tried her best to hold it together but the strain was too sudden and too much. With a pained gasp, she lost her connection to her spell just as it collapsed and shattered around them like glass.

* * *

As Viola's sealed space cracked around them like a egg, Frank cursed under his breath. The blasted House wasn't pulling its punches was it? Not even giving them a breather? That was just unfair!

Even as he ranted at how unsporting their enemy was being, the heavy spun around to face the source of the wail. He found himself staring at a spectral woman floating in the air with flowing blonde hair, dressed in tattered finery with a blank full face mask covering what he presumed to be some rotten wreck of her face.

"Banshee!" Hazel shouted rather pointlessly. It didn't take a genius to deduce what this latest monster was. Then again the Smiths might have needed the reminder, so Frank guessed it wasn't such a waste after all.

"Be careful of it's cry. It drains life force and magic." The team's uppity resident mage added. _Okay, that little reminder was prudent at least._

Frank was still using his magic to swap out the spells in the barrels in his gun from the standard destruction bursts he favored to anti-ethereal exorcist spells that would work better on the banshee when Paul had the bright idea to send his hellhounds at the thing. The specter just howled at them, destroying the half dozen canine demons in a single attack.

"Well that was worse than useless." Frank notes with a grunt, as he finished his spell swap.

He pulled the trigger on his minigun just as Marcus did, the boss having also taken the time to swap his ammo to something with more of a punch against the ghostly banshee.

Too bad banshees were bloody cheaters. This one was no exception and just teleported away. As if that wasn't bad enough, the hag had to teleport right into the middle of the team's defensive circle!

Frank cursed, knowing that with his gun's capabilities he was pants at close quarters, and could do nothing in this situation.

Thankfully, Hans was there to pick up the slack.

Spinning around to face the banshee as the rest of the team scattered, the sniper unloaded a cartridge of blessed lead right into the phantom's face. They weren't the best weapons against a ghost, some kind of anti-ethereal enchantment or plain ol' salted weapon would have worked loads better, but they should have done _some_ damage. Instead though, the shot just passed through the undead creature like it wasn't even enchanted! Not that the thing seemed to care, it got all pissed at being shot at and retaliated by grossly extending its right arm to swat at him and send him flying.

For a brief moment, Frank was worried for Hans, but as he saw the sniper brace for a rough landing he turned his attention back to the fight.

"Shit! The thing's immune to physical attacks, even enchanted ones!" Marcus shouted as his anti-ethereal bullets just flew through the banshee without doing anything.

That unnerved Frank more than he'd ever admit. A banshee that broke the rules? What the hell were they dealing with here? Was this House able to do whatever the heck it wanted? If so, what chance did they have?

He let none of his doubt show though, he had an image to maintain. Instead, he just forced out a laugh.

"Then we're lucky that I shoot magic!" He roared as he shot a barrage at the undead woman.

Unlike the others' efforts, his shots connected and the banshee cried out in agony.

Frank winced at the sound of her voice and staggered, cutting off his attack in the process. He wasn't the only one. Everyone flinched at the life-draining banshee cry. That is to say everyone except little Viola, who somehow kept her cool and cast a spell.

Suddenly, a circle of land around the banshee was surrounded by a pale grey light, the edges of which seemed like something out of a Salvador Dali painting.

_Spatial Trap. Nice!_ Frank noted even as he regained his wits and prepared to open up on the banshee again.

Unfortunately, the undead annoyance just had to teleport out of Viola's trap just as he lined up his gun.

To make things worse, she rematerialized right in front of him with her head tilted back for a life-ending howl.

Not for the first time, Frank thanked his lucky stars he was part of a team as his comrades jumped in to save him.

" **Silence!** " Hazel shouted from where she was kneeling next to Hans and checking him over for injuries from his impromptu flight time. Her spell hit the banshee and enshrouded it in a sickly purple aura, but more importantly sealed off its special abilities like its killer cry. Too bad it did nothing for the actual sound though, as the damn specter screeched in anger at being thwarted.

_Whoever came up with the name of the spell was a jerk._ Frank thought unhappily, _Talk about false advertising._

Apparently sharing his annoyance, the banshee made to rip Frank apart with her hands which now looked like claws more than anything else. But again, the heavy was saved when Paul, of all people, threw a fireball at it and distracted it long enough for Frank to back away.

The moment he had enough distance, he raised his gun and unloaded on the banshee. The thing screamed in pain, but it was still Silenced by Hazel's spell and this time its cries did squat. It couldn't teleport either, not while Silenced, so the hag was nothing but a sitting duck as Frank shot it to hell. Paul and Hazel chipping in with their own spells here and there.

It took a cathartic two minutes of filling the specter with enough magical power to light up a city, and a couple of renewed Silences, before the damn thing finally succumbed to the damage and with one last ear-splitting, pain-filled cry the banshee disintegrated into motes of purple light.

"Good riddance!" Frank declared victoriously.

He turned to the others and saw that while he had been focused on finishing off the banshee, they'd established a defensive perimeter. Smart. With only a few of them able to actually hurt the specter, having the rest of them on guard was a good use of resources. Better than just having them standing around doing nothing. Then again he didn't expect anything less from the boss.

"Frank, take a breather. We'll take a break here for a bit." Marcus told him as he walked up.

"Gotcha. Nothing came to help the hag?" Frank asked, honestly curious. If it had been him, he'd have backed the banshee with a horde of those zombies from earlier. Together, they would have been more than too much for them.

"No," Hans informed him from where he was lying down on the grass nearby while Hazel worked on healing his injuries. "Looks like the banshee might have scared off the zombies."

"Why though?" Marcus asked, confused. "The zombies are undead too. They had nothing to fear from the banshee."

"I agree with you, boss. But maybe it was just that much of a tough customer? I mean even without its scream, it tossed Hans there like a ragdoll and it could teleport to boot." Frank offered.

"Maybe," Marcus conceded. "But it still seems odd."

Frank agreed, but decided not to worry about it. Figuring things out like that was above his pay grade.

_I'll just leave it to the boss._ The heavy mused as he eyed the overwatch the team was keeping on their surroundings just in cast the zombie horde from earlier decided to make another appearance.

Viola though wasn't on the same page, and wasn't that fact getting old fast. Instead, she was looking at the spot where the banshee disintegrated strangely.

Without looking away from their perimeter, he asked, "What's up?"

"Huh? Oh, um, nothing. Just unnerved that Ellen turned her stepmother into _that_." The teenager said gesturing to the spot. "I mean she treated her terribly, but a banshee? Really? That's just vindictiveness on a whole other level."

Frank just looked at her like she was daft. Which he honestly thought she was. Who the heck was Ellen? And how the hell was that banshee her stepmother? What was the kid smoking? 'Cause with how much this mission was likely to suck, he wanted some.

The girl seemed to catch onto his thinking though, because she quickly backpedaled.

"Uh, just ignore what I said just now, okay?" The girl practically begged. "I was rattled just now and started muttering nonsense."

Frank didn't totally buy it. The nonsense people spouted when in shock usually didn't sound so consistent. He nevertheless let it pass. So what if the girl was keeping secrets? It wasn't his place to pry. He had a feeling he should though. That her secrets were about the House. No, duh! It was kinda obvious. But the girl deserved the chance to come clean on her own. Didn't mean he wouldn't watch her though.

With that decision made, he nodded to her.

"No problem. That's normal for people when they get into a real fight sometimes. By the way, you did okay in the fight. Keep it up and you might walk out of here alive."

"Uh, thanks?"

"Don't mention it." Frank said sincerely. "You've got promise."

The girl just nodded uncertainly at the compliment.

Smiling good naturedly at her, he walked off to check on Hans who was getting back to his feet with Hazel's help. He passed by old man Smith who was walking to check on his daughter. He offered the man a nod, but the summoner ignored him. It seemed he only had eyes on his little girl.

_Not a bad attitude to have._ Frank noted to himself as he walked to up to Hans and Hazel. _Family's always the most important. Always._

* * *

**And that's the first chapter folks. Hoped you liked it. I feel the fights were a little flat, but I've** _**always** _ **felt that about my fights. Haven't had much advice on how to improve them either so any advice on that front is greatly appreciated.**

**AllForFire: Man, I know what you mean. Dynamic fights are always a pain when you need to conjure them whole cloth, especially when it's with groups instead of one-on-one. But hey, I think this went pretty cool!**

**Thanks for the compliment. I hope the rest of you guys think the same.**

**Now onto the content of the chapter, there's really not much to say. Everything explored so far is mainly set up for things later in the story. So look forward to it.**

**AllForFire: It's going to be a Hell of a Ride, I can already tell you that much.**

**Till next time!**


	3. Stepmother

**Disclaimer: I don't own Witch's House or any of the IPs from which my imported characters originate.**

**Why Cute Witches Should Deal With Outsiders (And Their Lairs)**

**Chapter 2: Stepmother**

**Beta: AllForFire**

* * *

The day young Lady Ellen Beauclerk had been both anticipating and dreading was finally upon her. For months now, her father had made the rounds of the aristocracy looking for a wife. Having resisted the calls for marriage for years, the duke had finally been forced to submit to the years of pressure from family, friends and society in general on the matter. Furthermore, if his letter a week ago was any indication, he'd been successful.

Thus on the appointed day that her father would be bringing his new duchess home for the first time, the purple-haired girl found herself hiding behind the back of her favorite maid, Tiffany, in the entry hall of her home as she and all the senior staff waited in a line, in order of their seniority, to greet him upon his return with his new bride.

Clutching at the older girl's skirts nervously, Ellen couldn't help but worry if this new woman would be good to her or be like those evil stepmothers in the stories the maids tell her about sometimes.

The little girl had never had a mother before, so she sincerely hoped it was the former, but a part of her couldn't help but think that she couldn't possibly be so lucky, and it would be the latter.

It was these worries that led her to duck further behind Tiffany's back as the door to the house opened. But this was almost immediately foiled as the maid curtsied in welcome as the master of the house stepped through the open entrance with a beautiful blonde woman on his arm, revealing Ellen where she stood awkwardly behind the line of the estate's senior staff.

Not that Father seemed to notice her at all. Instead, with the casual disregard that the man who had sired Ellen had developed towards her over the past few months, he ignored her and addressed the servants instead. Ellen could only watch with dismay as Father introduced the woman individually to every single one of the staff further down the line from where she was hiding with Tiffany.

_Am I so unimportant to Father that he isn't going to introduce me to my stepmother?_ Ellen asked as she fought to keep from crying. Father hated it when she cried, and often punished her for it. _It's bad enough he made me stop calling him Daddy, and didn't allow me to attend his wedding. But this… This is just cruel._

Her sadness over her father's rejection of her was an old hurt though, and Ellen pushed it aside. Though with more difficulty than she would admit. Instead, she focused her attention on the woman hopefully from her hiding place behind Tiffany and the other maids, who had all closed ranks in front of her without her noticing.

_It's like they're shielding me. But from what?_ The precocious five year old thought to herself.

She briefly pondered on what it might be, but quickly dismissed the thought as unimportant. Getting a measure of her stepmother was imperative and she couldn't let idle thoughts distract her.

The new Duchess Beauclerk was a slender young woman with generally kind features, at least Ellen thought so, and that buoyed the young lady's hopes. Perhaps the woman would extend that kindness to her new stepdaughter as well?

The girl was weighing the possibilities of such when her Father finally reached where she was standing.

Dismissively, her father introduced the maids that were Ellen's friends and was about to move on, ignoring her as he always tried to. However, much to his surprise and his daughter's hope, his wife stopped him.

"My Lord, is this Ellen? Your daughter?" The woman, who Ellen realized upon closer inspection must not have been older than her late teens, asked in a inquiring voice. There was however an edge to it that made Ellen nervous and sent her thoughts spiraling into her memories of all the fictional evil stepmothers that she'd heard and read about.

"Yes," Father said in a curt, annoyed tone. Clearly, he did not like how his attempts to deny Ellen's very existence wherever possible had failed. "This is Ellen."

Tiffany turned then and lightly grabbing Ellen's arm, she gently led her little mistress out from behind her back to stand before her parents. All whilst offering the girl an encouraging smile. Or what Ellen presumed she thought was an encouraging smile. In the little girl's opinion, it looked plainly forced.

She didn't resist, though she had half a mind to do so. She'd have to present herself to her stepmother eventually. There was no point delaying the inevitable, no matter how much of a bad idea she thought it was.

Remembering her etiquette lessons, the young lady greeted her father and stepmother with a textbook perfect curtsy.

"Welcome Home, Father, Mother." Ellen ended her welcome awkwardly.

How exactly _should_ she address her stepmother?

If the cold blue eyes the woman was glaring at her with were any indication, she'd chosen incorrectly.

The purple haired girl took a step back in fear at the glare and briefly looked to Father for reassurance, but he was just nodding in acceptance of her greeting with indifference. Thankfully, he was also ushering his wife along and away from Ellen.

Unfortunately, the woman was still glaring at her even as she moved away.

Blinking back her tears and stifling the sobs that threatened to spill from her lips, the young lady all but threw herself into Tiffany's side. Decorum be damned, she needed comfort right now. As Tiffany wrapped her arms comfortingly around her, Ellen mostly succeeded in remaining quiet as she broke down at yet another sign that the universe hated her.

* * *

**And here's another chapter. This time one from Ellen's POV and before she became the Mistress of the Witch's House. Proceeding from here onwards, the rest of this fic will follow this format of alternating between chapters from the team's POV as they storm the House and Ellen's, giving backstory to the House.**

**AllForFire: Considering the House and potentially everything in it is alive, this seems appropriate.**

**As for what was shown in this chapter, there is one thing I would like to point out and that's the terms of address Ellen is using. Even in her own mind when she's referring to her father. Not only has she stopped calling him Daddy like she did in the Prologue, as he demanded, but she's also started to distance herself even further from him by calling him "her father" in her thoughts rather than the already distant "Father" that he asked her to. It's subtle, so I dunno how many of you guys caught it. I like doing this kinda thing, so if you pay attention to how my characters address other characters when it's their POV, you'll get hints as to the true nature of the relationships between character.**

**AllForFire: I personally love this sort of thing too! Only, I'm sometimes not the greatest at immediately spotting it unless I reread it a bunch or someone points it out.^^'**

**Alright, I guess that's enough for now. Till next time! Ciao!**


	4. The Front Doors

**Disclaimer: I don't own Witch's House or any of the IPs from which my imported characters originate.**

**Why Cute Witches Should Deal With Outsiders (And Their Lairs)**

**Chapter 3: The Front Doors**

**Beta: AllForFire**

* * *

Marcus cautiously led his team up the Witch House's driveaway. Ever since they'd dealt with the banshee, whatever malevolent mind that controlled this nightmarish place had decided to give them a reprieve, and had not thrown any other monsters at them. A fact that just aroused his suspicion.

_Why would the House hold back?_ The team leader thought to himself as he kept his guard up for a new unpleasant surprise. _If it wanted us dead, it would just mob us with every monster it had at its disposal. So why isn't it doing that?_

Shifting shadows at the edge of his vision caught his attention, and he swung his gun at the movement. However, just as it had the last dozen times before, as the light from his flashlight attached to his barrel pierced the darkness, it revealed nothing.

"Looks like whatever is stalking us is refusing to make a move." Hazel commented as she too eyed their surroundings with tense caution.

Marcus just nodded.

"Well, I like it this way." Frank said in the joviality with which he greeted even the harshest of situations. "Better than staring down an endless mob of zombies."

The others nodded, and Marcus himself agreed somewhat. All except Hazel.

"And what if this is merely a prelude to something more?" She asked in her contrarian manner.

"Then we enjoy the break we're having now," Hans shot back with an amused smile at their friend's usual bluster. "And prepare ourselves for _when_ this place decides to screw with us again."

Hazel huffed, annoyed that she'd lost the argument. She didn't say anything to drag it out any further though, and Marcus was grateful for that small mercy. As much as he liked her and respected her ability, the mage could be painfully annoying when she got into a mood.

"Looks like the drive is taking a turn," Paul noted, gesturing at how the asphalt road bent around a set of strategically placed trees that cut off the view of what lay ahead. "Want me to summon some hellhounds to scout ahead?"

Marcus mulled the option for a moment, before shaking his head.

"The House is playing with us," the black man said with grim certainty. "Let's not give it an excuse to make our lives difficult."

Viola looked like she was about to say something, probably to ask what he meant. She was, after all, too inexperienced to pick up on the clues.

"It's holding back. It's likely treating our invasion like a game." He explained helpfully to the teenager. "And if that's the case-"

"Then let's not risk aggroing whatever monsters are around the bend by sending something to scout ahead." Frank finished, with Hans nodding in agreement.

It wasn't quite how Marcus would have phrased it, but it captured the essence of what he intended, so he let it slide. Instead, he continued where the heavy left off.

"So let's check our gear and prepare for a helluva fight." The leader said to his team. "The House's been letting us walk off our win long enough."

They all quickly checked their equipment and a minute later, everyone was giving him nods confirming they were ready.

Nodding in reply himself, he took a deep breath and with his rifle raised, he cautiously walked around the corner.

The sight that greeted him as the team edged around the obscuring line of trees validated his wariness. Standing less than fifty feet ahead and flanking the front doors of the House was a squad of monsters. All of which turned to face them the moment he stepped out of cover, and who seconds later were charging towards the team.

_Shit! I hate being right!_

At the lead of the enemy charge was a ten feet tall bipedal war machine that had a great slab of armor on its shoulders, and a low-set head that gave it a hunched posture which exuded brooding and vicious menace. Instead of hands, the robot's arms ended in a pair of heavy weapons, one of which opened up on them with a barrage of plasma fire.

Marcus had dove for cover behind a nearby tree the moment he'd seen the hulking mechanical behemoth, but he knew the plant would do next to nothing to protect him from the shots of deadly ionized gas hurtling his way.

Fortunately, he happened to have a spatial mage on his team. With a minor tugging sensation, the soldier found himself teleported closer to the enemy, and out of the way of the mecha's bombardment.

"Thanks for the save!" He shouted gratefully to Viola, as the sound of snapping wood and a falling log told him just how poorly his earlier cover had fared under the enemy warmachine's onslaught.

He was not given the opportunity to think more on the matter though, as he was set upon by a muscular young swordsman of average height with unnaturally pale skin that was covered by a large number of scars. The man had cropped green hair and was dressed in a long, open dark-green coat closed on his waist by a red sash, in which his two swords' scabbards were tucked, and had a black bandana tied around his left forearm. His coat exposed his bare chest, revealing a green band around his abdomen underneath the coat. Disturbingly, his mouth was sewn shut and his eyes burned with dark malice.

There would be no reasoning with this enemy. It might look human, but it wasn't. Not anymore.

Not that diplomacy crossed Marcus' mind at this point, not when the swordsman was wielding a sword in each hand and attacking him like a whirling dervish.

He should have been reduced to minced meat, but once again his team saved him. The monster's blades were millimeters from cutting into his flesh, when he felt himself be grabbed by a telekinetic pull and dragged out of the way of the humanoid blender.

That wasn't the end of it though, and just as the swordsman whirled into where he was standing just moments before, it was trapped in the gray light of one of Viola's spatial traps.

_Hazel and Viola teaming up? There might be hope for them getting along after all._

His musings were cut shot however when, to his annoyance, a gold-colored spell slammed into Viola's and caused it to shatter with the sound of breaking glass.

Marcus cursed and was tensing to do some fancy acrobatic evasions.

...Oh, who was he kidding? He was about to be diced!

Thankfully, Viola was on the ball and caught the swordsman in a hastily recast spatial trap before it could so much as get a good spin going.

Breathing a relieved sigh, Marcus turned towards the source of the earlier counterspell. It turned out to be a tall middle aged man with untidy hair dressed in a long overcoat, a priest's cassock covered with bloodstains and a golden cross hanging from his neck. He, like the swordsman, Marcus noted with some pity, had his mouth sewn shut and eyes that glowed with inhuman malevolence.

The priest was being held at bay by a half dozen winged imps that Paul must have summoned. It was fending them off a crozier and a host of light based spells.

_He must be the enemy team's magical support._ Marcus concluded even as he raised his gun to finish the distracted priest off.

His shots were intercepted however, by a large, burly man that was wearing black pants and shoes, and had straps across his chest. He had black hair that ran down his head, sharp teeth that stuck out of his sewn up mouth, and blank, white eyes. Marcus' magically enhanced bullets didn't faze the brute, as he blocked his shots at the priest and charged at him without flinching.

No surprise there. Not when they just bounced off his skin.

As the monster closed in, it swung one of its meaty fists at Marcus in a powerful punch that he barely evaded.

_Holy shit!_ Marcus cursed to himself, as he felt the wind kicked up by the punch ruffle the loose pieces of his uniform. _This thing is incredibly strong!_

A whooshing sound and a burst of heat behind him had Marcus tempted to look behind him, especially when he heard Hans curse.

"The damn thing has a flamethrower!?" The sniper shouted in uncharacteristic panic.

Unfortunately, Marcus was a little too busy trying to stay alive at the moment to help his friend, as he did his best to evade the black-clad monster's relentless punches while futilely firing his rifle at the creature every chance he got.

"Marcus, duck!" Hazel shouted from somewhere off to the side, and the black man obeyed without any hesitation.

His trust was rewarded when a series of chained spells flew over his prone form and slammed into the brute. They caused the creature to stumble, and Marcus immediately exploited the opening by rolling into a kneel and going full auto on it.

He emptied his whole clip and _finally_ managed to wound the thing. It was only a small scratch along its shoulder, but after seeing how it had been tanking his fire unscathed for the whole fight, scoring this minor wound was a victory onto itself.

He wasn't given the chance to fully appreciate it though as Hazel shouted at him once more.

"Down!"

Once more dropping to a prone position, he felt the hair all along his body stand on end as his team's primary mage sent a bolt of lightning roaring over his head and into the wound he'd dealt the brute.

It spasmed as the innumerable volts of magical electricity coursed through its body, literally cooking it from the inside out until with the unpleasant smell of burned human flesh saturating the air in the area it collapsed to the ground.

It began collapsing into a pile of disgusting mush, but Marcus paid it little mind, instead jumping to his feet and rushing the priest, who he was pleased to observe was still plenty distracted by Paul's imps.

_The man's a lot better than I gave him credit for._ Marcus mused as he riddled the priests with bullets.

Turning from the pile of mush that the priest had become, he was just in time to see a series of explosions send his team scattering.

_Looks like they're having trouble with that warmachine._ Marcus concluded as he surveyed the situation the fight had devolved into while he had been occupied by the brute and the priest. His team had finished off the trapped swordsman, and was now focusing all their fire on the warmachine.

Even as he added his own rain of bullets to their assault, he couldn't help but admire how damned resilient the thing was. It had been subject to the sustained fire from his team the whole fight, and though its armor was sporting all kinds of damage and it had lost its flamethrower, it was still standing and fighting.

More than that, with the alarming rate at which it was spraying bolts of plasma, it was actually managing to keep his team at bay.

Thankfully, they had at least been doing well at staying safe. In no small part thanks to Viola teleporting everyone out of danger and Paul sacrificing his summons to absorb hits whenever his daughter couldn't react in time.

_I've really underestimated the both of them._ Marcus noted as he saw Hazel use some earth magic to construct a series of makeshift earthen ramparts to provide cover. _They make good additions to the team._

Taking full advantage of this, Frank was running from cover to cover and unleashing the full force of his destructive magic on the mechanical beast.

"We don't have the firepower to take it down!" Viola shouted, sounding panicked. "This thing was designed to fight hyper-advanced aliens and was built sturdy enough to handle loads more punishment than we can possibly hope to dish out!"

Briefly, Marcus pondered how the hell she could possibly know that, but pushed the thought aside. He had to focus on getting his team out of this situation first, _then_ worry about why one of his teammates seemed to know more than she should.

"Hans!" Marcus shouted, to the sniper who was busy trying to pepper the machine with bursts from his shotgun. "Take out its eyes! Hazel cover him!"

His teammates didn't reply, but from the way that a whole host of new earthen walls shot out of the earth around Hans' position and shielded him from the mechanical behemoth's sustained fire, they'd heard him.

It seemed the thing was smart enough to realize what the team had in mind though, and was trying to thwart them. Its plasma cannons easily tore through Hazel's hastily constructed earthworks, but she just replaced them even as they crumbled, styming its attempts to kill Hans.

Apparently frustrated by this, a pair of silos on its shoulders popped open and shot out a barrage of micro missiles in the sniper's direction. Paul reacted quickly though and had his imps dive into their path, causing them to detonate prematurely.

As the light from the explosions faded, a blue light streaked across the night sky. The warmachine turned its plasma cannons in a bid at layering a wall of interception fire, but Hans' magic bullet zigzagged its way through the wall of green projecticles with ease, creating a display that was as beautiful as it was deadly. All good things must come to an end though, and with an accuracy befitting his profession, the sniper's magic bullet slammed into the mecha's slumped head and took out both of its eyes in a shower of metal and other machine parts.

Much to the team's dismay however, this seemed to only serve to make the accursed thing angry. It let out a pained roar, that was a cross between the sound of a jet engine and that of some massive beast, and with accuracy that belied its apparent blindness focused its fire with deadly accuracy on Frank as he ran out of cover to take a shot.

Viola teleported him to safety, but that did little good. Especially when the mecha began liberally firing its missiles at them, forcing everyone to duck behind the increasingly battered cover offered by Hazel's earthworks.

_Damn! Maybe Viola's right and we don't have the firepower to take it down._ Marcus allowed himself a moment of doubt as he tried to formulate some way out of this mess. _Wait, Viola!_

"Viola, take it out!"

"Me!?" The teenager shouted back, even as the rest of the team expressed their own confusion.

He could understand their skepticism. He shared it. But she was literally their final hope. He knew perfectly well what the others were capable of, with the exception of Paul and Viola, and none of them had anything that could save them. He doubted the elder Smith had a summon that could do the trick either, or he'd have pulled it out already. So that left the girl, so full of untapped potential that everyone could practically smell it.

"I don't know how!" The teenager shouted back.

"Well, now's the best time for you to learn, ain't it?" Marcus replied as confidently as he could, hopefully not letting on about his doubts.

There was a moment of silence, exempting the sounds of the monstrous warmachine's incessant plasma and missile fire or the team's desperate, futile return fire.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Viola shouted back.

"I think I might have something!"

"Try it!" Marcus shouted back immediately even as he ran for new cover as the rock wall he'd been hiding behind was blown apart by a missile barrage.

Ducking behind the temporary safety of a newly created earthen wall, Marcus peered out the side to see Viola cast two of her spatial trap spells simultaneously. Each trapped half of their mechanical foe, which struggled futilely at its entrapment.

The space mage seemed to wait a moment, probably to catch her breath in shock that she'd succeeded with her plan so far, before she had the two space traps move in different directions. The result of which was heralded by the screech of tearing metal and the howl of unnatural agony as the warmachine was sheared in half.

Looking at the remains of the enemy that had come so close to killing his whole team as it began turning to mush, Marcus smiled with satisfaction.

_Bringing the Smiths along was a good idea after all._

* * *

**And here's another chapter done. Hope you guys liked it.**

**Plenty of action in this one. As I've said, that's not something I'm all too confident about, so do give me your critiques.**

**AllForFire: Hey, once more, for the odds at play here, this is pretty good! ;)**

**On another note, you guys must have noticed by now that I'm borrowing character designs from a lot of IPs. This is my way to give nods to the various IPs that I've enjoyed over the years. Now, I could just list them all out, but what's the fun in that? So why not make it a little game? If you readers would be so kind, please leave a review with your guesses on where I borrowed my designs from. I'll PM you to let you know if you've guessed correctly.**

**AllForFire: I was absolutely TERRIBLE at it, except for the one that absolutely EVERYONE is going to get.^^'X)**

**That's all for now. Till next time, peace out!**


	5. Creating the Lost

**Disclaimer: I don't own Witch's House or any of the IPs from which my imported characters originate.**

**Why Cute Witches Should Deal With Outsiders (And Their Lairs)**

**Chapter 4: Creating the Lost**

**Beta: AllForFire**

* * *

Ellen, now a young woman in her twenties, sat on the balcony of her House dressed in a bow neck, plaid half-sleeve dress as she enjoyed some tea and looked down at the corpses of the latest batch of adventurers who had tried to break into her home.

_What should I do with them?_ The young Outsider thought to herself as she leaned back in her deck chair and took a sip of her tea. _It would be a waste to just discard them, but merely reviving them, even as my minions, wouldn't stop them from being annoying._

Ellen really disliked adventurers. Not necessarily because they were constantly trying to invade her House. That was actually quite a fun distraction from the boredom of her otherwise uneventful immortal existence, well for as long as it lasted anyways. Few invasions lasted very long, after all.

No, what really annoyed Ellen was the way that these adventurers couldn't seem to stop talking! They were always going on and on about how great they were or what they wanted to do with the fame and fortune they'll get from defeating her House.

"Like that'll ever happen," Ellen scoffed.

The adventurers were, so far at least, all weaklings. And she saw no reason why that trend would change. They wouldn't have been able to defeat a demon lord, much less an Outsider like herself.

"Considering what to do with the adventurers, Miss Ellen?" Tiffany asked as she refilled Ellen's teacup.

"You've caught me." The lady of the house admitted. "It's the usual dilemma."

"I see, My Lady. I've given the matter some thought myself and I think I might have a suggestion you may find acceptable." Tiffany said as placed the teapot back in its place on a side table.

Ellen nodded. She was open to any suggestions.

"If they annoy you so much with their boasts and ramblings, you could just sew their mouths shut when you revive them? That way, you get to make use of them while also saving yourself the trouble of hearing their whining."

"Tiffany! You're a genius!" Ellen declared enthusiastically as she clapped her hands in appreciation of the brilliant idea.

The maid naturally preened at the praise.

"You flatter me, My Lady." The redhead servant said with a respectful curtsy.

"No, no, it's a good plan." Ellen reassured her friend. "I'll do exactly as you suggest. Oh, thank you again for the idea."

Tiffany simply bowed her head.

Ellen barely noticed as she turned her attention to thinking up ways to use her newest breed of minions, certain that it would be glorious.

* * *

**And here's a short one, done and dusted.**

**Not much to say here. It was a pretty straightforward scene showing how Ellen came to create the Lost out of the invaders of her House that she defeats.**

**That said, there is a bit of subtle nuance I've added in the scene that I hope to expand on. Basically, how Ellen views her maids and certain other of her minions (who they are should be obvious as the story progresses). Essentially, she sees them as her friends and family, whilst still recognizing her superiority over them. It's a difficult balancing act, but one that is surprisingly common in relationships between employers and their live-in staff. The superior-inferior dynamic never disappears but it does get heavily eroded with the close association of living together and the line between that and family blurs. In Ellen's case, there's even more to this erosion then has been revealed, so the blurring is even more so than the norm.**

**AllForFire: Totally agree with this, and in most cases, always nice to see.^^**

**Okay, I think I've spoken enough for one AN. See you guys in the next chapter. Peace out.**


	6. The Woodland God

**Disclaimer: I don't own Witch's House or any of the IPs from which my imported characters originate.**

**Why Cute Witches Should Deal With Outsiders (And Their Lairs)**

**Chapter 5: The Woodland God**

**Beta: AllForFire**

* * *

Hazel Edelfelt, the heiress to the prodigious Edelfelt line of mages, found herself crouching in front of the notorious Witch's House, trying in vain to use her magic to unlock its twin mahogany doors.

Cursing under her breath as her latest spell failed to make even a dent on the protections around the door, she took a calming breath and reminded herself of why an aristocrat like herself had ended up on a special-ops team infiltrating one of the most dangerous places in the world. It had all started when her great-grandfather had fled Finland when the Soviets invaded it during the Winter War. He'd been so hasty in his flight that he'd abandoned most of his fortune, leaving him, his family and their descendants nigh penniless. All they'd had was the magic they had passed down from generation to generation. So it was that, like her grandfather and father before her, Hazel had been forced to sell her skill as a mage to earn a living. All in the hopes of one day restoring her family to its rightful place.

She had to succeed on this mission and return home. Her family was counting on it. Her team too. She _needed_ to open this damned door!

The mage was trying to decide on which spell she should try next when the sound of a musket shot thundered from behind her. Spinning around she saw one of Hans' magic bullets streak through the air to hit one of the eight-legged rabbit-spider hybrids about the size of a housecat that have been swarming the area ever since they'd defeated those creatures with the sewn-up mouths. Monsters that her instincts, and suspiciously the Smith girl, had told the team were most likely all that remained of previous invaders of the House.

Repressing a shudder at the stray thought that she and her comrades might end up just like those poor unfortunate souls if they died in the House, Hazel activated a new spell and returned to work trying to pick the lock on the mansion's front door.

Even as she struggled against the seemingly endless layers of magical protection, a stray part of her mind couldn't help but question how the Smith girl was so certain about what those monsters were. She seemed to know the origins and natures of all the House's monsters.

Most of them had not been too difficult to deduce, but her level of surety was unsettling. And there was frankly nothing to suggest that the banshee had been the House's mistress' stepmother. Or that the House's ruler was even a woman. But the girl was absolutely certain.

That would have been suspicious enough. But the way the girl's father seemed unsurprised at the strange knowledge just made them appear even more suspect.

While she could appreciate both Smiths' contributions to the team so far - they likely would have been dead by now if they hadn't been part of the team - she can't shake the uneasy feeling that there was more to them than they were letting on.

Her distracted musings were interrupted as her latest spell failed. As she'd expected.

"Still no luck?" Marcus asked as he came over to check on her progress.

"None at all." Hazel confessed, uneasily. "To my magic, it's as if the door doesn't even have a lock to pick. My spells get shut down before I get anywhere close to whatever spell is keeping it locked."

That fact worried her more than she let on. She was quite proud of her magical ability, justifiably so in her opinion, and to encounter magic so far above her ken was troubling. If the House could use such magic just to keep a set of doors closed, what other manner of things could it have in store for them?

"Could we pick it manually?" Marcus suggested half-heartedly as he gestured to the obvious lock built into the solid wooden doors.

"What do you think?" Hazel asked him, an eyebrow raised skeptically.

"Yeah, didn't think so." The muscular man said with a disappointed shrug. "So blasting it doesn't work-"

Hazel nodded, recalling how Frank had let loose on full auto and hadn't even managed to scorch the door's paint.

"-and picking it is out too. That means-"

"We need to find the Gardener like the Smith girl said and get the key from its corpse." Hazel concluded for the man.

Marcus nodded, then looked the Edelfelt seriously in the eye. "Are you as concerned as I am about this connection with the House that Viola seems to have?"

"Definitely," Hazel readily agreed, even as they heard Frank open up on whatever unfortunate monster had wandered into his gun sights. "But that connection is probably why the higher ups insisted she come along."

"Just hope it doesn't kill us."

"You and me both. But it's a risk we're going to have to take."

Marcus grunted unhappily at that, but didn't refute her assessment. Instead, he raised his voice to address the whole team.

"Guys! The door's a bust." He informed everyone grimly. "We'll have to do what Viola suggested instead and hunt down the Gardener to get his key into the House."

Expectedly, Frank made an exaggerated show of frustration by grunting loudly. Hans, though surely no less annoyed with the situation, limited himself to a frown. Hazel didn't even bother to note the Smiths' reactions. In her eyes, they were still nothing more than tagalongs.

Whatever their reaction though, no one objected to Marcus' suggested course of action.

"Alright, if everyone's onboard." Their leader declared after waiting a moment longer for someone to offer an objection. "Then let's get going."

Hazel was having serious doubts about this mission by this point. There were simply too many warning flags raised. She did as she was ordered however, and followed after Marcus as he took point. She knew he and the rest of her team were still determined to accomplish their objective and there was no way in hell she'd abandon them.

As she fell into formation behind her leader though, she couldn't stop herself from eyeing the Smith girl standing next to her with open suspicion.

_There's more to this girl, and I'm determined to figure out what!_

* * *

The trek through the House's grounds in search of the Gardener, whose whereabouts the Smith girl suspiciously didn't know, quickly became a slog.

The lush, well tended gardens, lawns and woodland were beautiful, which was surprising for such an accursed place, but they were completely overrun by the strange spider-rabbit creatures that the girl had informed them were appropriately called Vermin.

The damn things were everywhere, and while docile when the team kept a distance, they immediately became aggressive if they got close. At which point they transformed from being odd-looking chimeras into downright horrifying monsters, as their mouths expanded grossly to roughly half the size of their ovoid bodies, revealing rows of razor sharp teeth, including a pair of fangs undoubtedly filled with venom in the process.

The elder Smith proved his worth however, by summoning up a flock of imps that he ordered into a protective circle that helped to give them some advanced warning for the unexpectedly stealthy critters, or just set them aflame and kill them outright. The demons weren't able to take out all of the Vermin though, and more than once the team had been forced to take things more seriously when they came across a particularly large cluster of the furry abominations.

Just like the one they had spotted dead ahead, around a large ornate fountain that the things seemed to be using as a watering hole.

Priming her magic to deal with the menaces, Hazel couldn't resist groaning in annoyance.

" **Fir-** "

The Edelfelt was midway through her incantation for a simple fireball, when to her surprise the whole pack of Vermin suddenly quivered in what appeared to be fear and fled.

"Did we just scare them off without doing anything?" Frank asked cockily, as if he honestly believed that was the case.

"We aren't _that_ lucky." Hans shot back as he scanned their surroundings to see what had really scared the monsters so badly. Clearly having spotted something in the distance, he tensed and pulled his musket over his shoulder into a ready position.

Taking their cue from their eagle-eyed comrade, the whole team likewise got ready for anything.

The cause of their worry revealed itself to be a pair of young women walking towards them out of the perpetual twilight that seemed to hang over the environs of the House. On the right was a teenager with brown hair and wine red eyes that was dressed in a black suit, a light blue blouse, and had her hair tied back with an orange hair tie into a large bun.

Her counterpart on the left was a young woman with pale skin, short brown hair and large brown eyes. She was dressed in a white blouse with a dark gray blazer and medium length skirt. Ominously, she was holding an oversized pistol sporting the Browning short recoil mechanism, but with a long slide and a golden barrel that looked 10 inches long.

Unlike the creatures at the front door, these two women looked human.

Marcus shot a look to the Smith girl in question, but she just shook her head. Apparently whoever or whatever these women were, was beyond her as well.

This put them all even more on edge, but Marcus seemed to decide that it meant there was some chance for diplomacy here, and so opened his mouth to speak.

Before he could say a word however, the two women both stepped to the side slightly to allow a third figure to emerge from the twilight.

This figure had the upper body of a petite woman with Japanese facial features, long blonde hair tied into a ponytail and startling green eyes. Her upper body was dressed in a kimono with long flowing sleeves and printed with the designs of a forest. That was however where her human features ended.

From her back, poking out of carefully cut slits in her kimono were a pair of dragonfly wings, while at her waist the folds of her kimono seamlessly transitioned into the petals of a large upside down rose, from which multiple tendrils hung, some of which ended in gigantic venus fly traps. Most distressingly, Hazel could feel the oppressive sense of immense _power_ that radiated from this being.

Sucking in a strained breath, the Edelfelt barely managed to keep herself from falling to her knees in sheer terror.

"Greetings, trespassers into Ellen-chan's house and Viola-chan." The plant woman said with a glare for all of them except the Smith girl, who instead received a smile. "I am Midori, the Daiyoukai of the Mugen no Mori and the Woodland God. These are my attendants, Akane, the Gun Witch and Mika, the Sparrow."

Hazel had never heard of any of them, but she didn't doubt for a moment that the creature was telling the truth about being a goddess. If the power she was radiating was any indication, she far exceeded the strength of many beings who had dared claim that lofty title.

"I was on my way home after a meeting of the Sapphic Circle, when color me surprised! I ran into a bunch of intruders into my friend's house. So, as a good guest, it's only right that I help her out and deal with these pests before leaving." The goddess explained, sounding angry and causing Hazel's blood to freeze in her veins in fear.

Despite her fear however Hazel couldn't help as her academic curiosity was peaked. Who was this goddess? Where was this domain she claimed she ruled? What was it like? What was the Sapphic Circle? All these and more were questions she wanted answers to!

Unfortunately for the Edelfelt's inner scholar, the Woodland God gave her no time to even ponder these questions, as having said her piece, she immediately proceeded to attack them. Dozens of vines snaked out from the rose that was her lower body and shot towards the team, even as she raised her hands and began firing energy blasts.

The team immediately scattered, with the Smith girl using her spatial magic to twist sections of space in the area to make it harder for the goddess' attacks to hit them.

_She didn't do this earlier._ Hazel noted as she ducked behind a section of twisted space and used it as cover to run towards the more comforting safety of some nearby statuary. _Is the girl getting stronger as this mission drags on?_

The mage was once more knocked out of her musings when the twisted space serving as her cover was abruptly shattered. Jumping the last few feet to the safety of her intended cover, Hazel rolled back to her feet just in time to have the statue she was hiding behind disintegrated by a powerful beam attack.

"Shit!" The blonde cursed as she used a little telekinesis to push herself away from her last position hard, in the process barely avoiding being hit by another disintegration beam shot by who she could now identify as the Gun Witch.

Thankfully, the woman couldn't take advantage of the blonde being out in the open, as she was promptly forced behind a series of magical shields circling around her and her goddess by a burst of fire from Marcus.

Unfortunately, the Sparrow took the chance to follow up instead.

With her arms transformed into a pair of wings covered in chestnut-colored feathers and her feet into the scaled feet of a bird that ended in large talons, the now harpy-like teenager dived down at Hazel with her claws ready to tear her to shreds.

The mage wasn't helpless though, and shot a fireball point-blank at the bird woman.

By the time Hazel had released her spell, there had barely been twenty feet between them. With such a short distance and the high speed of the girl's own dive, there should have been no chance for her to evade the flaming projectile. However, in a show of impossible maneuverability, the harpy actually managed to dodge the spell.

Though not the dozen or so imps that proceeded to body-tackle her as she tried to recover from her fancy flying.

Before the Sparrow could hit the ground however, she was engulfed in a tornado that destroyed the imps and knocked Hazel off her feet.

For a moment she flailed through the air, desperately grabbing for some convenient handhold to keep herself from being completely blown away. Eventually managing to grab onto the stone edge of a wrecked flower bed.

_What now!?_ Hazel cursed as she used all her admittedly limited physical strength to hold onto her precious handhold, thereby barely managing to avoid being sucked up into the twister.

The last of the mage's strength was about to fail her when the winds _finally_ died down, allowing Hazel to collapse back onto the ground. Pushing herself unsteadily to her feet, the mage looked up to a sight that had her gulping nervously.

Hovering above her was the Sparrow, who was glaring down at her with deadly intent. Which she immediately translated into action by beating her wings hard and conjuring a brace of wind blades that she sent screaming down at Hazel.

" **Earth Wall**!" The mage screamed, summoning a barrier of earth just in time to prevent herself from being cut to ribbons.

She was unable to take a break though, as the moment that the sound of impacts from the Sparrow's wind blades died down, her earthen construct shattered. Sent flying by the blast, Hazel saw the Gun Witch calmly retreat behind the magical shields keeping her safe even as attacks from Hans, Frank _and_ Marcus flew her way.

_Those idiots!_ Hazel cursed as she scrambled to summon another earth wall even as she heard a fresh batch of the Sparrow's wind blades screeching down at her. _I don't have enou-_

Hazel's thoughts were interrupted by the familiar tugging sensation of a teleport.

She appeared in the middle of a veritable fortress of twisted space next to the Smiths.

_Holy crap! What is this?_ Hazel thought to herself, as she surveyed the girl's construct. _There's no way she'd have been able to create something like this earlier._

"Hazel, you alright?" The girl asked, sounding sincerely worried.

Hazel just nodded.

"How are the others doing?"

"Not good." The girl's father said pointing to the goddess. "Outside of that opening attack, _that thing_ hasn't moved an inch this whole fight. More worryingly, even with everybody pouring all they have into them, it's utterly unharmed behind those wall of shields it's cast."

Hazel frowned at that. An assessment like that was a lot worse then just "not good". It pretty much amounted to them being in dire straits. They were getting hammered by the enemy without being able to do any damage in return. _At this rate, it's only a matter of time before we get too tired to evade their attacks and they wipe us out!_

The goddess' attendants seemed to realize this too, as they were taking an unhurried, safe approach to the fight. The Gun Witch was taking the occasional potshots at the team from behind her cover while the Sparrow tried to hit them from the air. But their attempts were clearly half-hearted, aiming more to draw a response from them and tire them out rather than to actually score a hit. And they were succeeding, as just keeping them at bay required a combined effort by the Smith girl's defenses, Han's tracking bullets and harassment from the elder Smith's imps.

This strategy didn't seem to sit well with their goddess though, if the look of irritation on her face and her crossed arms were any indication.

Not that Hazel cared what she thought at the moment. She had more immediate concerns, like helping her teammates.

" **Thundara!** " The Edelfelt incanted and sent a lance of electricity arcing towards the Sparrow. Only to have her deflect it with a gust conjured from a single beat of her wing and turn around to send a horizontal twister at their position, which washed over the fortress of distorted space harmlessly.

"Enough." The goddess said, her words reaching everyone's ears without raising her voice at all.

_Oh shit!_ Hazel cursed, as the Daiyoukai cut her right arm through the air and unleashing a storm of beams in its wake.

What must have been two dozen of them slammed into the Smith girl's fortress of twisted space, causing it to shatter like glass and send everyone flying. Hazel felt herself tumbling through the air like a ragdoll once more, crashing into all manner of objects in the process before she slammed hard into the side of a stone bench and finally came to a stop.

_I-I'm alive?_ Hazel managed to think to herself through the intense pain of the injuries she'd sustained.

As she quickly began casting healing spells on herself, she couldn't help but ask herself why the enemy hadn't finished her off.

"Wow! You lot are weak!" The goddess chided. "Like super weak! Even Viola-chan is totally weak!"

_Of course. The goddess wanted to gloat._

"Honestly, I don't see what Ellen sees in you lot. Well, I guess it's time to finish you off."

Lying against the wrecked bench that had stopped her flight and still in too much pain to do anything productive besides healing herself, Hazel could only look on in horror as the goddess raised her arm to attack again.

The team was saved from certain death, when the Daiyoukai was interrupted by a pure white spider the size of a dog that was covered in closed human eyes emerged from the petals of her skirt. Said monstrous arachnid radiated power on the same scale as the goddess and Hazel's blood once more froze in her veins at the prospect of it joining the fight as well.

"Midori, stand down," the spider said in an almost shy sounding woman's voice, much to Hazel's relief. "Ellen has asked that the intruders be allowed to pass."

"I can't even kill one of these weaklings?" The goddess said as she pouted. Her attendants following her example, stopped their attacks as well.

"No," the spider replied. "Ellen wants you to let all of them pass. That means you need to stand down. _Now_. Several of them are near death as is."

"But-"

The Woodland God was cut off when the spider opened her eyes to glare at her.

At this action, the being's oppressive presence increased tenfold and that was without the multiple swirling pupils within each eye being directed at the goddess instead of herself. As it was, Hazel felt her sense of being crushed by a feeling of incalculable terror.

She was on the verge of losing her mind to gibbering madness when with a huff of annoyance, the goddess complied with the spider's request with a nod.

Blessedly, the spider seemed satisfied by this and closed her eyes.

The aura exerted by the spider's eyes had been so intense that much to Hazel's embarrassment, she'd lost control of her bladder.

"Akane, Mika, we're leaving."

At her declaration, the Gun Witch let her gun dissolve into golden flecks of light and the Sparrow returned to her human form, as they both resumed their places on either side of their goddess

"You bunch of weaklings are lucky Shiro intervened or else-"

"Midori!" The spider hissed warningly.

The goddess ignored her though and continued.

"-you'd all be dead. Heck, you'll probably all still die. There're plenty of deadly things in the House you'll need to get through after all. Starting with the Gardener in the Greenhouse."

"Midori, you talk too much." The spider said just as it, the goddess and her two attendants vanished.

"...Okay, what the hell just happened?" Frank said from somewhere to Hazel's right. Turning to him, she saw him cautiously peeking out from behind what looked like a large chunk of the now-ruined fountain that previously dominated area. Which considering his rather unbattered condition, had managed to keep him relatively sheltered from the goddess' parting rain of beams.

"We just survived by the skin of our teeth, that's what happened." Marcus said as he walked over to Frank, tossing an empty vial of what had to have been a healing potion over his shoulder as he did so.

Hazel agreed, though she was in no condition to voice that.

"Amen to that," Hans said as he crouched down next to her. "Hazel, you alright?"

"G-Give me a minute." She told him as she cast another healing spell.

He didn't comment on the mess she'd made of her pants, and for that she was glad. She was embarrassed enough as is. Being called out on it would have made it unbearable.

"Paul, mind summoning us some protection? I think we need a breather."

The demon tamer's only response to their leader's request was the the summoning of two dozen imps that spread themselves around the area in a disorderly circle around them.

As the flying demons finished setting up their defensive cordon, Hazel finally felt well enough to deal with the damp patch she'd made on her clothes. Using a few cleaning spells, she quickly vanished the mess.

"All better then?" Hans teased, clearly realizing what her not being focused solely on healing herself meant.

"Well enough." Hazel shot back, smothering the embarrassed blush that threatened to light her face up like a spotlight.

"Hazel, Hans, you two alright?" The Smith girl said as she teleported beside them.

She looked fine. Roughed up a little but nowhere near the state Hazel or the others had been reduced to by the grueling fight.

_I'd bet she wasn't as badly affected by the power of the spider's eyes either._ Hazel hypothesized.

She didn't act on her mounting suspicions though, instead filing the latest tidbits away for later. Like when they weren't in the middle of a hell on earth that was crawling with monsters.

"We're fine Viola," Hans assured the girl while Hazel was distracted. "I don't know about Hazel, but I'm just a little shocked that a literal _goddess_ was in the House. I mean, if there's one of those here, then what else could there be?"

Hazel couldn't agree more.

The spatial mage looked unconvinced though. In fact, she looked almost-but-not-quite guilty.

Hans, ever the gentleman, rushed to reassure her.

"Don't worry about it. This isn't our first rodeo. We've faced impossible odds before. We survived then, and we'll live through it this time too."

The girl just offered him a hesitant nod. Hazel couldn't blame her doubts. Considering what possibly awaited them ahead, she found Hans' words hollow too.

Their conversation was interrupted when Marcus walked over.

"Hazel," the man greeted and gestured that he wanted to talk to her in private.

The Edelfelt readily agreed. She was still a little out of it from the battle, but she was mostly recovered.

_Which is odd. How could I possibly be back in fighting form so quickly? I guess that's one more mystery to solve._ The mage noted to herself as she followed her team leader a short distance away.

"What's your opinion on what the spider said about the supposed Mistress of the House wanting us to be allowed to pass?"

"Who knows?" Hazel said with a shrug. "Maybe she just doesn't want her guests to interfere with her games?"

Marcus winced at her description of the challenges they'd faced so far, but couldn't deny it.

"You think the plant woman and the spider were really the Mistress' guests?"

"Considering their power? I certainly hope so, because if they were just more of her minions-"

"We're dead." Marcus concluded with all seriousness.

"Yeah."

"So presuming that they are her peers, then it means what they said likely has an element of truth to it, and the Mistress has plans for us."

"Plans which likely have something to do with how we don't seem to be getting tired even though they've been fighting so hard, and how we keep seeming to get convenient breaks where nothing attacks us after every tough fight. Lastly, let's not forget, the Smith girl's strange connection to her."

Before Marcus could reply, Frank's voice caught both their attention and they turned to see him ask the Smith girl a question with an uncharacteristic serious look on his face.

"So, Viola, know anything about that Sapphic Circle thing that goddess was talking about?" A lecherous grin spreading across his face, he continued. "Is it what I think it is?"

Blushing prettily, the younger blonde explained.

"It's a faction of Outsider powers that Ellen belongs to."

"Ellen, as in the Mistress of the House?" Hans asked, looking genuine curious.

Her cheeks glowing even more brightly, the girl just nodded.

"How do you know that?" Marcus cut in, apparently tired of her secrecy.

"Um, I just do?"

Hazel was about to press her for more answers when Frank butt in.

"All that is interesting and all, but I've got a more important question!" He declared with a mischievous smirk on his face.

Hazel and Marcus exchange exasperated looks. This was the perfect opportunity to press the Smith girl for answers, and Frank was going to blow it? How typical of the man.

Neither of them said anything against him asking his question though. After that insane fight, they all needed a little of the man's humor.

Answers could wait.

"No one gonna stop me?" Frank asked and when he received no reply, leered as he asked the question that had him so excited. "So does the name Sapphic Circle mean anything?"

As someone who considered herself reasonably well read and learned, Hazel had thought she'd understood the biology behind a human's blush. But seeing how the Smith girl literally turned neon red, she decided that she might have to revisit the topic.

Despite her embarrassment though, the girl still managed to gamely answer Frank's question.

"Yes, it does. They chose it because they're a group of lesbian Outsiders."

Frank wolf whistled at that, prompting Hazel to smack him over the head for it. Asking silly questions was one thing, but being a dirty old man was another.

* * *

**And here's one more done and dusted.**

**I hope you guys like another long and hopefully intense fight. It was both fun but tough to write so I really would like to know if I did okay with it. Please do let me know in a review.**

**AllForFire: To be fair, I find that with bigger, more drawn out fights, the thought of going into meticulous detail the whole way through can often be both strong and rewarding, but you also have to take care that it does not, in fact, make it an active chore for the spectator/reader to follow, picture and comprehend. Which in this case, was achieved!^^**

**On another note, I would like to say that Hazel's refusal to call Viola by name is wholly deliberate. She is a arrogant, jealous person. She's not going to welcome Viola joining the team and at least partially 'usurping' her place.**

**AllForFire: Quite the departure from her canon self, eh? But then again, it's far from as if Rin would be acting or doing any better.~X)**

**Okay, that's it for the AN this time around. So until next time, peace out!**


	7. Sapphic Circle

**Disclaimer: I don't own Witch's House or any of the IPs from which my imported characters originate.**

**Why Cute Witches Should Deal With Outsiders (And Their Lairs)**

**Chapter 6: Sapphic Circle**

**Beta: AllForFire**

* * *

Ellen stood in the white emptiness of the Waiting Room of Dreams, waving at the retreating forms of her friends Azathoth and her Reaper taking their leave. Off in the distance, just as the couple disappeared entirely from sight, the blonde beret-loving Reaper partially turned back from where she was pressed against her wife's side to wave back enthusiastically.

Turning back to one of her two remaining guests from the gathering of the Sapphic Circle that she'd just played host to, Ellen couldn't help but feel a little envious.

Shiro Evileyes was beautiful, even by the godly standards of Outsiders like them. With her white skin, silvery blonde hair and perfect figure, she had turned many a divine head since her ascension to their ranks. A feat that was aided by her elegant fashion sense, as demonstrated by the tie neck, high-collared, long raglan-sleeved, seashell colored ball gown. It made her look like a regal queen, and almost distracted from the way she always had her eyes closed.

It honestly made Ellen feel plain. Even if she'd gone out of the way to emulate the older woman's style in her own periwinkle stretch satin and tulle sheer short sleeved dress. She'd hoped it would have made up for her relatively unflattering looks. But it seemed nothing could make her a match for Shiro's pure refined beauty.

Ellen's dress, with its ornate beaded lace detail throughout the bust and sleeves, the asymmetrical pleats at the waist, the cascading ruffle detail at one side of the skirt and flowing mermaid silhouette with a sweep train, simply made it appear like she was trying too hard.

_All that effort and attention to detail wasted! I still don't look half as sophisticated as Shiro._ Ellen lamented and pouted in dismay.

Today was important, and she wanted to look her best. Yes to impress her friends in the Sapphic Circle, but more importantly to wow Viola later in the day. It was going to be the main event in their relationship today and she wanted to look perfect for that all-important moment.

Sensing she had Ellen's attention, Shiro walked up to her and offered the younger Outsider a smile.

"It appears Midori and I are your last guests again."

"It would seem so," Ellen said, letting none of her envy seep into her voice. "Is Midori still stuffing herself with cakes?"

Shiro smiled and nods.

"The Butcher will be pleased to know that his cooking is so greatly appreciated."

"He deserves the praise, he is a grand cook."

Ellen nodded in agreement.

"Though that is no excuse for us overstaying our welcome like this." The woman in white said with an apologetic smile. "Is it really alright? Aren't you expecting a very important guest?"

"Yes, _**she**_ 's coming. At last." Ellen told her friend with a broad smile, her joy at what was about to happen so intense that she was surprised burst from it all.

"Ah, young love." Shiro said with a wistful sigh, "I can still remember when I first met Midori and how we fell in love. That lovestruck expression of yours reminds me of how I was back then."

Ellen couldn't help but blush brightly at that.

She wasn't about to let her friend get away scot-free for her teasing though. With a playful nudge, she told her, "Aren't Midori and you plenty lovey-dovey now as is?"

Chuckling, Shiro nodded.

"I suppose, but we were _way_ worse back then."

Considering that the two were practically glued at the hip whenever they were in the same room together and how they had no qualms about public displays of affection, this boggled Ellen's mind.

"That's hard to imagine." Ellen admitted.

Shiro just smiled at her, a faint blush staining her alabaster skin as she probably recalled some of the more _extravagant_ displays of love she had shared with her wife in the past.

Ellen's focus was abruptly pulled away from the conversation however when she sensed that _**she**_ had just crossed into the House.

_Viola's here! She's finally, physically here!_ Ellen shouted ecstatically in her own mind.

Shiro seemed to have caught on as she shot her a knowing look.

"Why don't you run along, Ellen. I'll handle Midori." She told the younger Outsider while giving her a gentle push. "It's time to go capture the heart of your own intended, isn't it?"

"T-Thank you." Ellen managed to stammer out through the excited beating of her heart and the burning blush on her cheeks, before teleporting away to face her destiny.

* * *

**And here's another short one done.**

**As it should be apparent, these shorter chapters sandwiched between those covering the main plot don't necessarily follow a chronological order either between themselves and definitely not in comparison to the longer chapters. Think of them as interludes designed to add context to the 'main' chapters rather than to drive the plot forward, though some will do just that.**

**I hope all of you like this approach I'm experimenting with. Do let me know what you think in a review.**

**Also, I know I went overboard with the description of Shiro and Ellen's dresses, especially the latter's, in this chapter. But trust me that it wasn't just an attempt to satisfy my love of fine dresses. It's mainly to show how particular Ellen is being about every detail of this day that's all important to her. She's looking at the various components of her dress and the dress (Shiro's) she's comparing it to with an frankly excessive level of detail. She's that particular about wanting everything to be perfect.**

**AllForFire: The woes of perfectionists everywhere.**

**Will she get what she wants? Wait and see.**

**Lastly, just a shout out to my fellow fanfic author Kyle Castorena whose works** _ **Never the Twain Shall Meet**_ **and** _ **Echo of a Lost World**_ **inspired my version of Azathoth and her Reaper that appear briefly at the start of this chapter. I won't spell out right now how they inspired me, but will do so when they make another more substantive appearance later in the story.**

**Till next time, peace out!**


	8. The Hedge Maze

**Disclaimer: I don't own Witch's House or any of the IPs from which my imported characters originate.**

**Why Cute Witches Should Deal With Outsiders (And Their Lairs)**

**Chapter 7: The Hedge Maze**

**Beta: AllForFire**

* * *

It took the team a while to recompose themselves after the harrowing encounter with the Woodland Goddess and her companions. Though Hans noted with a growing sense of unease that they still seemed to do so unnaturally fast.

The fact this caused him only unease and did not send him into a panic made him realize just how deeply they were being influenced by the House. A fact that should have had him up in arms, but this too was muted. To the point in fact, that he found it difficult to even think about the part of his mind that was screaming at him to flee this place.

Instead, he focused on the mission. Following the self-proclaimed Woodland Goddess' advice, the team had decided to seek out the Gardener in the Greenhouse. Someone who Viola assured them would have a key into the mansion. Said teenager had, still using the directions she'd seemingly gleaned from her strange connection to the House, had taken up the role of guide.

The connection, truth be told, unsettled Hans most of all about this whole situation. Though nowhere near the levels it seemed to worry Marcus and Hazel, and definitely far below the level of concern all of them would have been feeling if the House didn't seem to be actively suppressing their thoughts on this front.

Despite these concerns, Viola proved herself a competent guide. She led them through the rest of the grounds, with only a few encounters with Vermin that were quickly dealt with. He had a sneaking suspicion that the teenager had deliberately circled around some monsters, but whether that was the case or not, Hans was thankful for the relative peace. The team needed a respite before they faced whatever horror the House decided to throw at them next

Though as they found themselves facing a Hedge Maze behind the mansion, standing in their path to the Greenhouse where the key-bearing Gardener supposedly waited, Hans felt certain their break was over.

This had much to do with the fact that the Maze looked like something straight out of a horror movie. Or an arachnophobe's worst nightmare. It was ominously, almost completely covered in thick silken spiderwebs.

At the sight, Marcus wisely signaled a halt and turned to Viola even as the team automatically spread out to secure a perimeter for them to talk.

"Any idea what to expect in there?"

The blonde worked her lower lip nervously for a while before replying hesitantly.

"We'll need to be wary of Root Spiders."

"Spiders? Who'd have guessed?" Frank snorted, but was quickly silenced via a swift kick to the shin by Hazel.

_Looks like she's still a little annoyed with him from earlier._ Hans noted with a smile. It comforted him that, despite their frankly terrible situation, his team was still able to joke around.

Marcus gestured for Viola to continue and after a brief glance at the Maze, she complied.

"They are a kind of plant monster made out of tree roots that have coiled around themselves into the shape of a dog sized spider."

The boss nodded, but pressed for more. "Do they have any special abilities?"

"They, uh, spin webs which impede trespassers and will lunge out of the hedges in the Maze." Viola said, before pausing for a moment as if trying to remember a half-forgotten memory. "Oh! And they have a paralytic venom too!"

_Sounds nasty._ Hans thought to himself with a wince even as he kept his eyes peeled for any enemies that might want to ambush them while they conferred. _I doubt they will. The House seems strangely accommodating of us when we do our pow-wows._

"Anything else, Viola?" Paul asked, while Marcus digested what Viola had already said. He knew the black man was trying to think up strategies to deal with these Root Spiders when they ran into them.

_That's why he's the boss. Always thinking a step ahead whenever possible._

"Uh, yeah." Viola replied to her father. She turned to Marcus, looking to see if he was paying attention. At his nod, she continued. "The House's Hounds also live inside the Maze."

"I take it they're like my hellhounds?"

Viola nodded.

"In that they're monstrous dogs, yeah. The House's are twisted, shadowy creatures that look like German Shepherds though, not fire and brimstone like yours are."

The father nodded, contemplative. Viola stopped, waiting for direction from the man but Marcus waved her to carry on. She shot one last look at Paul, who still seemed lost in whatever had caught his attention, and with a sigh continued.

"They are extremely fast, agile, and can Shadow Travel. But only when not being observed. What else...? Oh right! They're also ethereal, like the banshee we fought earlier."

"So like the bitch the House hated enough to turn into a tortured specter?" Frank asked suddenly, startling Viola.

"Uh, yeah?"

"Well, that sucks." The heavy grunted in annoyance. "That hag was hard to kill."

Hans agreed wholeheartedly. Dealing with one ethereal monster was hard enough, but what would likely be a whole pack of them? That was liable to get them killed. Though that could be said about facing _anything_ in the House.

"Those two monsters..." Hazel cut in, sounding worried. Something that immediately rang alarm bells in Hans' mind. Whatever had the team's smartest person anxious was unlikely to spell good news.

"What about them?" Paul asked, apparently back from his trip into his own mind.

"They sound like they're _designed_ to work together." Hazel noted. "Like the Spiders are meant to use their venom to immobilize prey for the Hounds to finish off."

"I don't know if they were created to do it on purpose, but that's what they do a lot of the time." Viola confirmed. "The Kennel Master taught them to do it."

"Let me guess, this Kennel Master is the boss of the Maze?" Marcus asked with a resigned sigh.

Their guide just nodded.

"You know, creepy as it is, Viola's connection to the House is damn useful." Frank commented.

Hans agreed, but unlike his friend he found he just couldn't ignore his worries about what it could mean. Even with the House helping it along.

"Paul," Marcus said suddenly. "Your file said you can summon Ifrits, correct? Can you?"

The summoner looked confused but dutifully replied, "Yes, but only one or two at a time."

"Then call one up now."

Hans caught on and with a smirk glanced at the Maze, looking forward to the spectacle that was about to unfold.

Paul meanwhile still looked clueless, even as finished a short subvocalized chant.

For a moment nothing seemed to happen. And then abruptly a pillar of flame exploded out of the earth a few feet to the elder Smith's right, like some kind of volcanic emission. It lasted only a second or two and as it cleared, revealed a tall humanoid made entirely of fire.

"Impressive," Hans muttered quietly. It wasn't easy summoning the fire demons, but Paul had done so nigh-effortlessly. _Looks like I've underestimated him._

From the surprised look in Frank's eye and the frown Hazel was sporting, he wasn't the only one. Marcus was sole exception.

Then again, if this detail had been in Paul's file, then Hans wasn't surprised. Unlike the rest of them who had dismissed the Smiths as dead weights simply because of their civilian backgrounds, their dutiful team leader would have actually read up on them. Not simply thrown their files into the shredder after a cursory glance like they had.

_We should really stop doing that. We can't always rely on Marcus to know his stuff. We've gotta prepare for the chance that we might nee-_

Hans' moment of self-reflection was interrupted by Marcus issuing the order he'd been eagerly expected.

"Burn down the Maze."

"What!?" Viola shouted in alarm and turned to Marcus.

Everyone turned to her.

Everyone that is except her father. Ignoring her, he turned to his summons.

"You heard the man," the demon tamer said. "Set it ablaze!"

"No! Stop!" Viola shouted.

But it was too late.

Raising its arms over its head, the Ifrit quickly gathered together a large fireball. From a mere ember, it quickly grew to the size of a compact car. At which point, the demon threw it into the depths of the Maze, unleashing a firestorm that rapidly swept across the webbing-encased foliage and reducing everything it touched to ash.

Viola just looked on in horror.

The reason for which was revealed when a roar of rage came from the depths of the Maze.

"We've done it now." The teenager breathed fearfully as she took a step back.

As if on cue - and Hans was starting to think it _was_ \- their latest challenge leapt out from the still-burning remnants of the Maze and landed in their midst with a earthshaking impact.

Thankfully, no one lost either their feet or their cool, and they all scattered away from the monster.

It, unsurprisingly, was a horrific thing. Part of that was due to it appearance, which resembled a massive drider-like creature whose spider parts were made of roots, topped with a humanoid body akin to a fully-transformed werewolf. But most of the horror came from the way it had grabbed ahold of the Ifrit as it landed, and proceeded to tear the fire demon apart with its _bare hands_!

"Holy shit!" Frank cried out, expressing the team's thoughts on the display.

Ifrits might not be the most powerful demons, but they weren't chump change either. For this monster to treat one so trivially... That spoke volumes about its strength. Enough to send a shiver up everyone's spines.

Not that any of them had much time to contemplate it, as with a howl of victory at the Ifrit's demise, the monster turned its attention to the team. With its predatory eyes gleaming with malice and its lupine jaws twisted in a snarl, it sent fear coursing through Hans' veins.

Even as it eyed the team up as lambs to the slaughter, the shadows cast by the House's eternal twilight writhed and came to life as a pack of dozens of the Hound creatures that Viola described earlier emerged. As if that wasn't bad enough, Root Spiders poured out of the many openings on the lead abomination's abdomen.

"This must be the Kennel Master," Frank, the irreverent idiot that he is, said unnecessarily as he went full auto on the beast.

Joining in pouring shots into the boss monster, Marcus began shouting orders.

"Hans, Paul, take the adds! Viola, Hazel, magical support."

The sniper didn't need to be told twice. In a well-practiced motion he slung his musket into a ready position and shot off one of his magic bullets, commanding it to scythe through the growing ranks of the lesser monsters.

He was pulling the trigger on a second shot when he felt his sense of time slowed as the familiar Haste spell take effect over him.

It proved its worth almost immediately as his heightened perception allowed him to sling his musket and draw his shotgun in time to pulp the head of a Root Spider that was lunging at him.

Ignoring the way the dead creature became a mushy blob, he dove out of the way as one of the Hounds jumped at him with its fang-filled maw wide open and ready to tear his throat out.

Scrambling to his feet and trying to level his shotgun at the monster, he was saved the trouble when one of Paul's hellhounds charged it from the side and the two descended into a vicious dogfight.

_I'm getting punny in the middle of a fight. I blame Frank for this._ Hans thought wryly as he took a moment to admire the canine battle royale.

Unfortunately, he didn't get a chance to fully appreciate it as the enemy pressed their numerical advantage and he was forced to unload cartridge after cartridge of his blessed shotgun pellets into the seemingly unending swarms of Root Spiders and Hounds.

_At least the Hounds are following the normal rules of what being ethereal means this time._ Hans noted with some relief as his shots actually seemed to hurt the monsters. If they had flouted the conventions like the banshee had, he'd already have become dog food.

That said, as he reloaded for the umpteenth time, he was hit by another troubling thought. _Why the hell haven't I run out of ammo?_

In spite of that fact, Hans was starting to really feel the pressure. The monstrous swarm was like an endless tide. He must have destroyed hundreds of the creatures already, but the damned things just kept coming.

"Uh guys!" Hans shouted urgently. "We can't hold out much longer! Hurry up and take down that damned boss!"

"It ain't so easy!" Frank shouted back, sounding just as stressed.

For a brief moment, Hans considered offering a prayer to a god he believed had forsaken the world but quickly dismissed it. If they were going to live through this it was going to be by their strength.

_That or another Deus Ex Viola._

* * *

"It ain't so easy!" Frank shouted back to that damn wannabe cool sniper. Like hell they didn't know they had to take out the boss monster quickly. What did he think he and Marcus had been trying to do the whole damned time?

He had unloaded so much of his magic power into the damned thing that he should be dead from magical exhaustion by now. It was only thanks to whatever trick the House was pulling to keep his magic from depleting that he was even still standing, much less able to fight. Heck his magic hadn't dropped a notch the whole time they were in this accursed place, even after all the crazy fights.

_Thanks Ellen!_ Frank thought to himself only half-jokingly. _That's your name right? I think that's what I heard Viola call you._

There was no reply and Frank wasn't expecting one. Not really. He was just joking around a little. Humor, after all, had always been something of a retreat for him when things were going south. A way to keep sane when everything went to shit, you know?

Well, considering how even after hitting the damn drider with enough firepower to take out a tank, the damn thing was unscathed and just sitting there howling up more of his doggy friends and shitting out more spiders…. Frank was in a _really_ funny mood at the moment.

Perhaps sensing his mood, or just because fate or whoever wanted to screw with him, this was precisely the time when things got _worse_.

Breaking with its pattern of just sitting there spawning more minions, the Kennel Master suddenly raised its right arm over its head and conjured a bloody _flaming whip_ into its hand.

"You gotta be kidding me!" Frank cursed even as the monster snapped its new weapon in his direction.

" **Haste!** " Hazel's voice shouted hastily.

The spell took effect in the nick of time and Frank rolled out of the way by a handful of millimeters.

_It's times like this that reminds me why I put up with that arrogant bitch._ The heavy thought with a wince as he inspected his new burns. He might have escaped a direct hit but the beast's weapon was so insanely hot that his close shave still left him with some rather nasty injuries.

Assured by his quick check that he was still good to go, Frank leveled his minigun at the thing's hand to try to disarm it. Marcus seemed to catch on and quickly redirected his own fire to the thing's paw.

Much to their frustration, their shots continued to do absolutely nothing to faze the monster.

Well, they were lucky then that their team happened to have a pretty little trump card didn't it?

With the sound of cracking glass, the Kennel Master's hand suddenly was cut off and fell to the ground to become mush.

_Glad Viola's on our side. That girl's getting scary._

Here he and Marcus were doing everything to hurt the monster and accomplishing nothing and she actually amputates one of its limbs in a single spell. That was badass!

Not that the Kennel Master seemed to agree as it howled in agony and clutched the stump of its ruined arm with its good one and summoned another host of his dog minions.

Before he could do any more than that though, there was another sound of shattering glass and the damn thing was suddenly bisected in half.

"Holy cow!" Frank breathed in shock as the two halves of the abomination fell to the ground and collapsed into he disgusting mush that most the House's monsters seemed to.

Taking the hint at their master's demise, the various other monsters immediately turned tail and ran.

"You'd better run!" Frank roared tauntingly, as he shot a burst into the fleeing swarm. "Or our resident little Magical Girl will cut you lot into pieces too."

"Frank! I'm 18!" Viola shouted, an adorable pout on her face. "I'm not a little girl."

"Meh! You're still a pipsqueak to me." Frank told her with a shrug, artfully hiding the shiver that went down his spine when he realized he'd upset the terrifyingly powerful girl.

She didn't seem to notice, instead taking his words at face value and deflating in dismay.

* * *

**And one more bites the dust!**

**This was actually quite a fun chapter to write for me. It allowed me to play up how by now everyone knows something is not right with their reactions, their logistics (ammo, magic reserves, etc.) and** _**especially** _ **with Viola. Oh, and the growing realization of just how incredibly powerful the teenager really is.**

**AllForFire: The teenager ends up with the monster-dismembering powers. Ah, a tale as old as time…^^X) ;)**

**As always I hope I did a good job, but do let me know what you guys think. Constructive criticism is always welcome.**

**Lastly, I'd like to thank everyone for reading. Hope to see you next time. Till then, peace out!**


	9. Puppies

**Disclaimer: I don't own Witch's House or any of the IPs from which my imported characters originate.**

**Why Cute Witches Should Deal With Outsiders (And Their Lairs)**

**Chapter 8: Puppies**

**Beta: AllForFire**

* * *

It was a bright and sunny spring day at the Beauclerk Estate. A perfect day in fact, for some fun amidst the outdoors.

Unfortunately for the six year old young lady of the house, this was not to be. After a tiring morning of lessons, the young noble was supposed to have spent the afternoon in the library attending _even more_ lessons.

Not that Ellen was actually doing that.

Instead, she was hiding in the kennels on the edge of the hedge maze. Oh, she knew her parents would be furious with her for skipping and would likely punish her badly for it, but she really, really needed the break! She'd been studying so long that all the words on the pages in her books were starting to blur together.

So she'd run off.

Somehow, and don't ask her how 'cause she couldn't tell you if she tried, she'd ended up at the kennels, where the nice kennelmaster, Mr. Clegane, had let her stay for a while.

Mr. Clegane and most of the staff were always nice to her, even when her parents were being mean. _Especially_ when they were being mean.

They always seemed to have a place for her to hide when she didn't want to deal with her dad's disinterested looks and her stepmother's angry ones. Sometimes they even had something fun to do while waiting for her parents to finally remember she existed and demand she return whenever she ran off.

Just like how Mr. Clegane was letting her play with the puppies that had recently been born.

Normally Ellen didn't really like dogs, she was very much a cat person, but puppies were just too cute. In fact, they were so adorable that as she looked down at the puppies laying in the hay of the pen, Ellen could, for a moment at least, forget all her worries.

Heck, they were so darling that even the black cat that always seemed to follow her around seemed to think so, since it didn't run away as she leaned down to play with the puppies and even joined in a little.

Which just made her day.

She loved that cat, and seeing it enjoy itself playing with the puppies warmed her heart.

She knew it was a little silly, but she couldn't help feeling a sense of family with the cat. Maybe it was because it had the same eyes as her. Whatever the reason, she felt closer to the cat than she ever did with her parents.

Suddenly feeling the urge to show her feelings to the cat, Ellen picked it up and hugged it tight.

"I love you too, sweet Ellen." A distinctly male voice said from out of nowhere.

Blinking in confusion, she looked around the kennels only to find herself alone. Mr. Clegane having gone out of his way to make sure that that no one would disturb her. Or be able to tattle to her parents about where she had gone.

"Who said that?"

"You can hear me?" The voice said, sounding surprised.

"Y-Yes?" Ellen replied hesitantly. "Where are you? I can't see you."

She knew it was probably a bad idea to reply to voices talking out of thin air, but she couldn't help herself. Not when the voice had said it loved her, and sounded like it meant it.

"Oh, you can see me just fine." The voice said with a laugh. "Just look down."

Ellen frowned in confusion but nevertheless complied, only to be met with the loving eyes of the black cat gazing up into her own.

"You? You're a talking cat?" Ellen asked in shock.

"Not quite. But what I am is not important right not." The cat said with a victorious smirk. "Instead, I have plenty more important things to tell _you_ , sweetling."

* * *

**And here's another short backstory chapter done!**

**This time we get to see the true beginnings of Ellen's ascension to her rightful place as the Mistress of the Witch's House. How will things play out? Well, you'll have to keep reading to find out.**

**AllForfire: Cameos, cute puppies and talking cats, oh my!~XD**

**Till next time, peace out.**


	10. The Greenhouse

**Disclaimer: I don't own Witch's House or any of the IPs from which my imported characters originate.**

**Why Cute Witches Should Deal With Outsiders (And Their Lairs)**

**Chapter 9: The Greenhouse**

**Beta: AllForFire**

* * *

Hans and his team walked cautiously through the charred remains of the Hedge Maze. Swinging his shotgun from side to side as he swept their surroundings for any sign of an ambush.

They might have killed the area's boss, but most of his minions had survived and the squad were all wary for the possibility that the monsters would regroup and counterattack. A task which would be made all the easier by the regenerating hedge rows. The plants were recovering unnaturally fast, literally going through months of growth in minutes.

"These plants are getting really big, really fast." Frank commented absently from up ahead where he was taking point.

"The House is fixing itself." Viola explained, sounding odd. Hans couldn't quite place her tone, but it seemed like a cross between pride and worry.

_Yet another strange reaction to things to chalk up on the ever-growing list._ Hans noted with annoyance, primarily at the incapacity to build up an urge to confront Viola about it. Every time he tried, an artificial sense of forgetful calm would come over him.

Sighing in frustration at his inability to resist whatever the House was doing to him, he instead focused on what Viola had to say. Considering her wealth of knowledge on everything that had to do with the House, whatever it was would probably prove useful.

"Nothing destroyed within the House's domain stays dead and gone permanently, unless Ellen wills it. They all just repair themselves or get revived over time." The teenage powerhouse said as she glared at Marcus and her father.

_She's still upset over them setting fire to the Maze._ Hans concluded. _The girl certainly knows how to hold a grudge._

It wasn't a good idea though, not in their current situation. They needed to work as a team if they wanted to survive this.

_No one's saying anything?_

Hans was correct, none of his teammates seemed willing to confront Viola on her hostility.

Sighing, the sniper realized it would be up to him to fix this.

"Viola," Hans addressed the girl. "Whatever you have to say, just say it. It's not going to do anyone any good if you keep it all bottled up inside."

She shot him an incredulous look, but he ignored it and barreled ahead.

"I assure you that it's better to just let it all out in the open then to let it fester. Especially when we're on a mission like this."

The teenager looked at him searchingly for a moment before nodding. With a deep breath to steady her nerves, she turned to Marcus.

"It was a mistake to burn down the Hedge Maze earlier," the spatial mage informed their team leader. "All it managed to do was make the Kennel Master angry and fight harder than he would have."

"Are you saying that it would have gone easy on us if we hadn't flushed him out?"

Viola hesitated in thought for a moment, before shaking her head.

"No, but as a being who essentially cannot die, he wouldn't feel the need to fight with his all just to avoid death like other beings. As such, when facing intruders he would only put in enough effort to get away with it. Ellen then either lets him get killed temporarily or has him retreat and let them pass."

"Viola," the girl's father cut in, sounding stern. "How do you know so much about how it would behave. It almost sounds like you know the monster personally. Does your connection to the House really run that deep?"

The teenager bit her bottom lip uncertainly for a moment before nervously replying, "I dunno whether you'd call it deep, but I dream of the House almost every night. I even get to talk to its residents sometimes."

Hans immediately shot his regular teammates startled looks.

"I guess that's why she's on this mission." Marcus said with certainty.

Hans had to agree. In the higher ups' place, if he'd learned of Viola's connection to the House, he'd have thrown her at it too. It would probably be their best hope at taking out the menace. Though he'd really have appreciated if they'd actually told them about it beforehand.

"Yo Viola! What do you do the rest of the time you're dreaming of this place? I mean besides chatting up the monsters." Frank asked from up front while he gestured at their eerie surroundings.

"I spend time with Ellen mainly." The girl admitted and Hans couldn't suppress the shiver down his spine at the casual way she referred to the House's Mistress. It was like they were best friends, a prospect that was unnerving in and of itself.

While he was getting scared out of his wits though, Viola kept going.

"The House doesn't look like his in my dreams. It's actually quite beautiful, and the people living here aren't monsters. Well, most of the time anyways."

The whole team were silent for a long time as they processed this and Hans imagined they were, like him, trying to puzzle out just what exactly was Viola's connection to the House and its Mistress.

"Viola," Paul's pained voice finally broke the silence. "What kind of relationship do you have with this Ellen girl?"

At the question, Viola blushed and looked down to hide her face.

"Friends," she added in a whisper. "Best friends, but still just friends."

Hazel looked at the younger woman like she was an idiot, which Hans thought was a tad unfair. Viola was young after all, it was understandable that she wouldn't understand her own feelings as well as someone older and more experienced.

_Well, at least she's not being blunt about it._

Unfortunately, not all of their teammates had the same level of tact.

"Oh bullshit!" Frank said with exasperation. "Listen to yourself girl! You're sounding all lovestruck and you still say the two of you are 'just friends'? Who are you kidding?"

Viola just blushed even more brilliantly in response.

"Frank," Marcus told the man warningly.

"Yeah, yeah." The heavy said with a contrite grunt. "Sorry for the ribbing kid, but you know I'm right."

"Frank!" Marcus said more sternly. "Can it."

The minigunner sighed but nodded and shut up.

"The rest of you too, keep the chatter down. I know we're all tense and need to vent but remember that we're still in a hot zone."

There were agreeing acknowledgements from everyone and things quietened down for a moment.

_You just did that to get everyone off Viola's case._ Hans thought to himself at Marcus' unsubtle move.

His team had never been the quiet type. They were more the "go and break things" type of outfit. Asking them to hold their tongues for long was pretty much an exercise in futility.

As if to prove that point, Hazel soon struck up a conversation with him.

"Hans, isn't this whole mission shaping up to be an elaborate attempt to spirit Viola away." The woman said in whisper, a frown on her face. "I know it seems absurd but-"

"What!?" Viola sputtered at the suggestion.

"But that's exactly what it feels like." Marcus agreed, ignoring the teenager like everyone else and jumping into the conversation. "But whatever the Mistress of the House's intentions are, our mission remains unchanged. We're here to stop the threat posed by the Witch's House and that's what we're going to do."

Hans and Hazel nodded.

"Yes sir," Frank playfully replied, breaking his uncharacteristic silence.

That Hans expected, but Paul's response startled him.

"Agreed," the summoner said in a voice that burned with determination and a raw, fiery hatred.

_What's got him so riled up?_

He shook his curiosity off though, nudging the still silent Viola with a gentle shake of her shoulder.

"Okay," the spatial mage squeaked out.

Marcus didn't look satisfied with the girl's clearly half-hearted response, but let it slide.

"Hey Viola, that the Greenhouse?" Frank asked as he gestured to a massive glasshouse just up ahead.

"Yes," the teenager confirmed with a nod. "We'll need to be on guard. If we get any closer we'll be passing out of the Hedge Maze and that means the attacks will pick up again."

Ordering a stop, Marcus spun to face the girl with an angry look that demanded answers.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I didn't explain earlier?" Viola asked looking apologetic. "Whenever an area is cleared, the House takes time to reset its defenses. During that time, unless specifically ordered otherwise, the area's local monsters will stand down."

"So if we enter a new area, like say the Greenhouse, we're fair game again?" Hans asked, thoroughly surprised at how _fair_ that sounded. Real life, especially in combat, rarely ever was.

"Pretty much." Viola confirmed.

"And you never told us this till now?" Hazel demanded from the girl, her fists clenched in anger.

"It slipped my mind?" The younger mage said while scratching the back of her neck nervously.

"Leave it." Marcus ordered as he sighed in resignation. "We've got to remember for all her skill, Viola is still practically a civilian. She's going to make rookie mistakes."

"Sorry!" The girl apologized as the team nodded in acknowledgement of their leader's order.

Marcus was about them to get moving again but Frank raised a hand to stop him.

"I've got a question for you, Viola." The heavy said, turning to face the girl. "Just to get some context and help us understand what to expect, where did your girlfriend get this system from? 'Cos it sounds like something out of a bad video game."

"Ellen _isn't_ my girlfriend." Viola replied automatically, blushing hard.

Hans curiously noted that Paul was nodding vehemently at his daughter's denial.

_I can understand why. If I had a daughter who seemed to be dating an eldritch abomination I'd be against it too._

"Just answer the question." Marcus told the distracted spatial mage.

"Oh, um, sorry." The flustered girl apologized. "The area system? Yeah, you're pretty much correct Frank. The general idea behind it is from video games."

"You talked to the Mistress about it?" Paul asked, his simmering anger over his daughter's apparent relationship with the creature slipping into his tone.

Not that his daughter even noticed.

Blushing like a schoolgirl, which Hans idly recalled she was still entirely young enough to be, the spatial mage replied.

"I suggested the feature actually." Viola revealed to everyone's shock, though she seemed oblivious to it as she continued with a fond smile on her face. "Ellen thought like it sounded like it could be fun, so she implemented it to deal with minor threats. She said it was amusing to watch how they struggled."

With a sigh of fond exasperation the girl continued, still unaware of how everyone was looking at her in horror. "I told her she was being sadistic, but Ellen was so taken with the idea that I didn't object beyond that."

She actually _giggled_ as she finished recounting what to her was clearly a happy memory. _**Giggled!**_ They were being run through hell thanks to her suggestion and she found it amusing?

Was this girl insane?

For a moment Hans was consumed by rage and a strong desire to wipe that smile off Viola's face. Before he could act on it however, his mind blanked out on him.

_Huh? What happened?_ Hans thought to himself as he blinked in confusion. _What's going on?_

"We're minor threats are we?" Frank snorted. "Well, we'll show her. Oh, and Viola, your girlfriend is a bitch."

"Ellen is not my girlfriend!" Viola protested.

"Keep telling yourself that." Frank retorted.

Hans finally finished piecing together what had happened and couldn't help but frown. There was a gap in his memory. Not about what happened. He remembered their conversation well enough, but in how he felt. In fact, it seemed like a whole chunk of his emotional range had gone numb. He couldn't pinpoint to what extent that was but he could feel it nonetheless.

And that unsettled him.

"Hans, you okay?" Hazel asked, sounding concerned. "You look out of sorts."

The sniper nodded to his longtime teammate's concern, before turning to Viola. He might have had his mind manipulated by the House but it seemed like he still had his free will. And that meant he had to have his question answered.

"Viola, did you know your dreams were real?"

"Not at first," the spatial mage replied easily with that nostalgic smile still on her face. "But recently I've started to suspect they are. And ever since we've entered the House? I've been certain."

"How long have you been dreaming of the House?" Hazel asked, sounding both wary and intrigued.

"I've had dreams about it for as long as I can remember."

"That long?" Hazel muttered to herself. "What does that mean?"

"We can save our questions about this bombshell till later." Marcus cut in, having finished recovering from the revelation himself. "For now we need to focus on what's in front of us and that means we need to know what we're going to be facing inside that greenhouse. Viola, care to share?"

"Uh, right." The girl said, the smile finally falling from her face as she began to explain the hazards ahead.

* * *

A detailed rundown of future threats and a short, tense walk later, the team found themselves standing outside the large greenhouse, whose interior looked from the outside to have been overrun by plants and transformed into a jungle.

"Remember to be careful inside," Viola reminded everyone one last time as they prepared for the trail ahead. "The place is crawling with Spore Carriers."

Hans winced at the mention of the creatures and offered a prayer for the poor souls who had become the monsters. Even as he did his best to psyche himself up for the ordeal that facing them would undoubtedly be. According to their resident expert, they were a variant of the Zombie with green moss covering every inch of their skin and a set of plant like growths on their backs and who walked on all fours while being constantly surrounded by a cloud of poisonous miasma that made fighting them up close dangerous.

But that wasn't what made the prospect of encountering them so harrowing. No, that honor went to the fact that apparently they were nearly perfectly camouflaged by the overgrown vegetation of the Greenhouse.

Hans hated fighting ambushers. It usually meant close quarter combat that made it impossible to use his musket. While he was confident in his skill with his shotgun, it was still a far cry from his marksmanship with his magic bullets.

"Thanks for the reminder," Marcus said with an absent nod as he addressed Paul. "Summon us a pack of hellhounds. We can have them scout ahead."

As the demon tamer did as ordered, the team leader turned to Viola.

"These Spore Carriers. Can they hide their scent?"

"I'm not sure, but I don't think so."

"Good idea with the hounds, Marcus." Hans told his leader sincerely.

"I thought it up on the walk over." Marcus informed him distantly, his mind probably churning as he thought up tactics on how best to proceed. "We'll use the hounds to flush out as many of the Spore Carriers as we can. Hans, then I want you-"

"-to snipe them." Hans finished for him. "Count on me."

"I know I can." Marcus said sincerely. "Hopefully, this way we can avoid getting swarmed like in the last few fights."

"Damn, that means less work for me." Frank groaned in disappointment. "It's a good plan though."

"Hans, I'll support you with truesight spells." Hazel chimed in, jokingly.

"My aim is perfect as is." The sniper shot back with an annoyed look at the familiar tease.

"A little help will make sure that it stays that way." Hazel shot back with a smirk.

Hans growled in irritation, but let it go. As much as he hated to admit it, Hazel had a point.

"Frank, you and I will hold back and step in only if things look like it might get nasty." Marcus told the heavy and earning a nod in reply. "We'll save our firepower for the boss."

"What should I do then?" Viola asked sheepishly.

"You'll hang back with us and be our final trump card." Marcus told the girl seriously. "You're our heaviest hitter at the moment, so your job will be to kill anything that we can't."

Viola blushed at the praise, but the team leader ignored it.

"You sure you don't know where this Gardener creature might be?"

The teenager shook her head and slapped her cheeks to get her head on straight. Hans couldn't help but find the admittedly rather childish gesture adorable.

It seemed to work for Viola though, as she replied to Marcus with all the seriousness of a professional.

"He could be anywhere. It's his job to wander the Greenhouse tending to its plants."

"Well, he's doing a shit job." Frank said gesturing at the Greenhouse's interior. "The place looks like a mess."

"Shut up Frank," Marcus shot back back. "We don't need to piss off another boss monster."

"Yeah, well, I wasn't the _genius_ who did that the last time was I?" The heavy taunted back.

Marcus pretended not to have heard the comeback and instead moved to push the doors to the Greenhouse open, gesturing for Frank to follow suit.

As they did, the team was hit by a blast of warm, humid air.

"It feels like it's an actual jungle in there." Hazel observed with a frown.

"It told you it would be," Viola reminded them.

"I was hoping you were exaggerating," Hazel said with a resigned sigh. "I hate jungles."

"You're not the only one." Paul said absently as he ordered his hellhounds ahead of the team and into the green hell that lay in front of them.

* * *

What followed was an ironically repetitive series of encounters.

First, Paul's hellhounds would sniff out one of the Spore Carriers, and then attack them to flush them out of their well-camouflaged hiding spots.

And damn! Viola hadn't been exaggerating about how well-hidden in the foliage they were. Thanks to their skin color and ability to just stay still, they were practically invisible.

Fortunately, thanks to Paul's pet demons distracting the plant zombies by getting themselves torn apart - quite literally in most cases - Hans could line up a shot with his musket while they were busy and let his magic bullet do its deadly work.

After the way everyone had been so worried about entering this zone, the actual thing was kind of anti-climatic.

They must have had done the same thing at least twenty times and Marcus and Frank only had to open fire a couple of times when there were a few more Spore Carriers than Hans could handle alone.

As a result, this trip through the Greenhouse was looking all around to be as close to a walk in the park as they'd had this whole mission. Well, except for Paul who had been forced to keep summoning replacement hellhounds because they kept getting taken out.

_Shit! I just jinxed us didn't I?_ The sniper realized with horror.

As if to prove it, just ahead of them a gaunt man with elongated limbs and no face stepped out from behind a tree.

* * *

_He must be the Gardener._ Marcus thought as the atypical monster started walking towards them.

It was dressed rather normally in a flannel shirt and jeans, but that sense of normality was shattered by the pair of massively oversized shears he was opening and closing menacingly as he advanced on them.

_Those aren't normal shears._ Marcus noted as he readied himself for the fight ahead. _They're not making any sound._

"Be alert," Viola whispered in warning. "Remember that _everything_ Mr Garth does is completely silent. Don't let him sneak up on you."

She was about to say more but was stopped when the monster teleported directly in front of Marcus with its shears open and ready to decapitate him.

With a wordless curse, the black man dropped to the ground just in time to avoid losing his head.

"Watch out for his teleporting too!" Viola reminded them belatedly.

Ignoring the girl, Marcus raised his gun at the monster and fired a burst only to have it teleport away.

The bark of Hans' shotgun told him where it had reappeared and as he jumped back to his feet, saw the Gardener staggering back from the sniper, a wound to its chest, for a few steps before vanishing.

"We'll need to hit him harder than that." Viola said, once more belatedly. "He's extremely durable."

"Viola, less talking! More fighting!" Marcus barked. "Stop its teleporting."

"I'll try!" The girl shouted back as she threw a spatial cage in front of Frank just as the Gardener materialized in front of the minigunner, his shears poised to cut the weapon in half. Unfortunately, even as the distorted space started to take effect, the monster teleported away.

"He's too fast!"

"Then we just need to speed up. **Mass Haste!** "

Hazel's spell immediately paid off, as the improved time perception and reaction time allowed Frank to react just as the Gardener appeared next to him again and shove his minigun into its gut, forcing it back before it could snap off his right arm with its shears. He even managed to get off a burst into the thing before it vanished just as Viola's spatial trap was about to catch it.

The Gardener seemed fully aware of whom had turned the tide and targeted Hazel next, appearing behind her and snapping his shears shut seemingly before she could respond.

Only to be sent flying when the body he cut in half exploded.

The real Hazel shimmered into view next to Paul and offered the man a nod, "Thanks for the assist."

"I'm out of imploding imps." The summoner replied, completely ignoring her gratitude.

"No worries," Hazel replied, showing none of the agitation she must have felt. "We shouldn't need it again."

Their reprieve was interrupted when the Gardener blinked in next to the two distracted magic users with its shears ready to bisect them both at the same time.

They were saved from an unexpected quartering when Viola, of all people, charged the monster from behind and shoved a blade of distorted space into its back. It froze at this, giving Hazel and Paul enough time to get away from the reach of its massive weapon.

Meanwhile, the Gardener had apparently decided to borrow from the horror movies and turned its head a hundred and eighty degrees to look at Viola face to face. Its grotesque pale-skinned face, with its stitched up mouth, empty eye sockets and snake-like slits for nostrils looked down at the girl's youthful face with undeniable surprise.

"Sorry Mr Garth." The spatial mage apologized to the monster .

_Why the hell are you apologizing to a monster that's trying to kill us?_ Marcus screamed in his mind as he tried to get a clean shot.

Before he could manage, the Gardener seemed to give an understanding nod to Viola before lashing out with a powerful kick that sent her flying. This left it open and Marcus and Frank promptly opened fire.

Though it seemed unaffected by the barrage, instead choosing to look down quizzically at Viola's spatial blade that had remained lodged in its chest.

" **Thundara!** " Hazel shouted as she joined in the assault by sending a bolt of electricity slamming into the Gardener.

This was shortly joined by a fireball from Paul and one of Hans' magic bullets.

None of it seemed to faze the creature though, as it continued to look curiously at the shard of twisted space stabbed into its chest. This, despite the fact it was starting to accumulate actual damage, with chunks of its flesh having been blown off by the sheer volume of power they were unleashing against it.

"It isn't teleporting away," Hazel shouted even as she sent a barrage of icicles at the creature. "The blade must be locking it down."

Hazel's words seemed to have caught its attention however, and the Gardener finally began to move. Spinning its head to face forward again, it began advancing with slow, deliberate steps toward the mage, all the while ignoring the damage it was sustaining even as parts of its body started to become mush. This made it seem like it was melting under the barrage the team was subjecting it to, even as it advanced on Hazel relentlessly.

Said mage began backing away from the monster, without once letting up on her spell casting as she breathed a cone of fire on the thing. This unfortunately meant she wasn't looking where she was going and tripped over a root.

The Gardener seemed to take this an opportunity, and snapping its shears closed proceeded to throw it like a spear at the downed mage. It flew with unerring accuracy and would have undoubtedly killed the disorientated mage, if not for her disappearing seconds before it would have impaled her.

Repeating the neck twisting trick from earlier, the Gardener turned its head and looked past where Marcus was kneeling and firing at it. Taking a quick glance at what it was looking at, the soldier saw a disheveled looking Viola standing next to a perfectly safe Hazel.

"Keep it up! We've almost got it!"

Frank's cheer had Marcus turning his attention back towards the Gardener where it seemed the damage was finally proving too much. The creature was gradually losing what remained of its coherence and collapsing into a pile of mush, but not before it shrugged its shoulders and offered Viola a smile.

"Bye Mr Garth," Marcus heard Viola whisper. "See you later."

* * *

**And done!**

**Not too sure about the ending there. It feels abrupt. If anyone has suggestions on how to fix it, let me know.**

**AllForFire: Gardener (Internally: "Aaahhh, I'm meeeltiiing. What a world!..." X)) Sorry, couldn't resist.**

**Other than that? Well, nothing to say really.**

**So that being the case… Till next time. Peace out!**


	11. Green Thumbs

**Disclaimer: I don't own Witch's House or any of the IPs from which my imported characters originate.**

**Why Cute Witches Should Deal With Outsiders (And Their Lairs)**

**Chapter 10: Green Thumbs**

**Beta: AllForFire**

* * *

Viola was dreaming. She knew she was, because she was visiting the fancy house of her dream friend, Ellen. She'd been dreaming of Ellen and her big house since _forever_ , or at least as long as the ten year old could remember.

They would always spend time together, doing all kinds of cool stuff. Like playing games, trying out fancy clothes, anything really that either of them could think of. It was fun! More fun than Viola ever had when she was awake.

Today was, of course, no exception and they were spending time exploring the big greenhouse in the middle of the hedge maze behind the main building. Or they were until they had decided to play a game of hide and seek in between the beautiful flower beds and plant nurseries that filled the greenhouse instead.

Which was why Viola was currently hiding behind a large potted plant that Mr Garth, Ellen's head gardener, had pointed out to her when she'd asked for a place to hide.

The older gentleman was super nice like that.

Not like Mr Clegane who was nice but liked to pretend he was tough but like nice all the time.

He was mute though, so it was hard to understand him sometimes, but Viola didn't mind. He was such a kindly old man that a little difficulty talking to him was a small price to pay to be his friend.

Viola's thoughts about Mr Garth were interrupted when suddenly Ellen appeared out of nowhere and glomp-tackled her to the ground.

"I caught you!" Ellen declared triumphantly before bursting into giggles.

Ellen's laughter was infectious and Viola found herself giggling along.

Still giggling away, the two girls struggled back to their feet.

Drawn by their joyous laughter, Mr Garth walked over and shot a look between Viola and the potted plant.

"It was a good hiding spot." The blonde reassured him once she got her giggles under control. "But as you can see, Ellen found me anyways."

"Of course I did," Ellen said proudly. "I'd find you anywhere."

Mr Garth smiled and shrugged but pointed outside.

"Sorry, are we being too noisy?" Viola asked apologetically.

Mr Garth nodded and pointed to the many plants he was halfway through repotting.

"Sorry to disturb you then, Mr Garth," Ellen said with an bow that Viola quickly imitated. "We won't disturb you any further."

Viola nodded in agreement and let Ellen drag her away. Unlike her rude friend though she waved goodbye to Mr Garth over her shoulder, smiling when the mute old man waved back.

* * *

**And here's another short chapter.**

**Hope you enjoyed a look at Viola and Ellen as kids. Well, Ellen isn't really a kid by this point in-story but she's pretending to be one, so it counts? Maybe?**

**Hmm… This just occurred to me but Ellen has been dreamstalking Viola her whole life, even when she was a little kid. Does that make her a pedophile? I mean, she's not human and she** _**definitely** _ **doesn't follow a human moral code, nor did she do anything sexual to Viola back then… But still…**

**AllForFire: Things always get tricky with Immortals/Supernaturals with wonky lifespans/relationships with time and space/run on Orange and Blue Morality. Double for Eldritch Abominations. Really, Case by Case, methinks.**

**So what do you guys think? Was Ellen dreamstalking Viola creepy or romantic, as she intended it to be, or maybe both? Let me know.**

**Till next time, peace out.**


	12. The Library

**Disclaimer: I don't own Witch's House or any of the IPs from which my imported characters originate.**

**Why Cute Witches Should Deal With Outsiders (And Their Lairs)**

**Chapter 11: The Library**

**Beta: AllForFire**

* * *

While the rest of the team took a well deserved breather after their fight with Mr Garth, Viola walked over to the pile of mush that were his remains.

Ignoring the suspicious looks everyone was shooting her, she knelt down and pulled a key to the mansion out of it.

"Sorry about this Mr Garth," The spatial mage told the deceased man sincerely. "I hope you get resurrected soon."

"Viola, don't get sympathetic for the monsters."

"He might have just been a monster to you, Marcus." The teenager said with a glare. "But he was my friend."

"Viola, he just tried to kill us." Dad reminded sternly.

"Not he wasn't." Viola insisted. "He's too nice to kill anyone. At worse, he'd have injured us and dropped us outside the front gate of the House."

"Like that's really any better." Frank snorted, clearly unimpressed. "Considering how badly beaten up he'd have left us, we'd would've likely died from our injuries."

Viola spun at the minigunner, a retort ready on her tongue but was preempted by Marcus.

"That's enough!" The team leader barked. "We shouldn't be fighting amongst ourselves, not when we should be focusing on the mission."

Everyone nodded at that.

"Alright, then let's get going. I don't want to still be here when the Gardener resets."

With that the team formed up and cautiously began retracing their steps back out of the Greenhouse, with Dad summoning a new batch of hellhounds to scout ahead. Though that proved unnecessary, as the defeat of Mr Garth meant that the Greenhouse was cleared and thus safe for the time being. Not that Viola was in a mood to point that out, when the others had just been so mean to her elderly friend.

So she let them stew in their nervousness as they traipsed through the thick foliage, paranoid about the possibility of an ambush at every turn.

It was petty of her, but Viola couldn't really bring herself to care.

She was brought out of her vindictive thoughts when Marcus slowed to fall in beside her.

"Will the Hedge Maze have reset by the time we get out of here?" The man asked, sounding wary of the possibility.

"It shouldn't have," Viola replied easily. "But we should be careful. Mr Clegane is probably _very_ pissed at us and might rush things."

Marcus nodded, even as they came within view of the Greenhouse doors.

Rushing back to the head of their formation, the team leader exchanged a look with Frank and Hans. The heavy and sniper nodded and they covered Marcus as he cautiously opened it.

They were greeted with the sight of a half-restored Hedge Maze, the still-growing hedges of which were being swarmed by innumerable Root Spiders busy covering them in silk.

For a moment, everyone sucked in a nervous breath at the prospect of facing that many of the plant monsters at once. Fortunately, the Spiders were even more terrified of them and instead fled as they caught sight of them.

The whole team breathed a sigh of relief at that, though they nevertheless maintained their vigilance as they headed into the Maze with Viola stepped forward fully intent to serve as their guide once more.

"We'll use the back door." The teenager informed her comrades. "It's the closest."

No one objected, not that she expected them to. She, after all, was the only one who had any familiarity with the layout of the House.

Indeed, all she got was a acknowledging nod from Marcus.

Taking that as her cue with a slight smile on her face, Viola proceeded to lead them into the regenerating Hedge Maze.

* * *

The walk through the Hedge Maze was uneventful, though that was entirely due to Viola bypassing the many Spider Root lairs and the Kennels itself that were hidden within. Not that the team knew that. Still a little upset at how they had treated Mr Garth and Mr Clegane before that, Viola had given them the cold shoulder and kept her directions as brief as possible.

As they exited the Maze however, Viola felt her temper cool and reason reassert itself.

Even if Mr Garth and Mr Clegane were her friends and would never hurt her, that didn't extend to her teammates. Despite what she'd told Marcus back in the Greenhouse, Mr Garth would have been more than happy to kill everyone but her for Ellen. Doubly so for Mr Clegane. Both men, like all the House's residents, were utterly devoted to their Mistress.

Thus as the team walked up the paved path to the mansion's back patio, Viola found herself trying to muster up the courage to apologize to her teammates.

It wasn't easy though. How do you apologize for siding with monsters against your comrades?

She was thus still working on it when they reached the patio, with its evenly spaced wrought iron picnic tables and the set of french doors that led into the mansion.

"Um guys-" Viola finally managed to say as they were heading towards the doors when she was interrupted by the sound of a furious roar from the centre of the Hedge Maze.

The teenager paled at the raw anger in Mr Clegane's voice. She'd _never_ heard him that angry.

"Well shit!" Frank cursed, as the team broke into a run. "Looks like the dog master is back and he doesn't sound happy."

Ignoring him, Marcus turned to Viola.

"Open those doors!" The team leader ordered.

The spatial mage nodded even as she rushed ahead of the others. Reaching the door, she fished out Mr Garth's key and hurriedly shoved it into the keyhole. Turning the key as quickly as she could, she allowed herself a small smile as the lock clicked open.

She swung the doors open and turned to usher her team inside, in the process catching sight of the immense horde of Hounds and Root Spiders surging out of the Hedge Maze towards them.

The sight of what must have been _thousands_ of the creatures made Viola gulp in fearful awe at the power Mr Clegane and by extension Ellen had at their disposal.

Viola was thankfully not so lost in her appreciation of her friends' power that she forgot herself. Thus, as her Father flanked by his hellhounds rushed into the House, Viola followed him in and slammed the doors shut behind her.

Just in time too as seconds later, the glass began rattling with the sound of monstrous bodies slamming into them with ferocious force.

* * *

Hazel bent over her knees catching her breath as she struggled to recover from their mad dash from the ravenous jaws of the Kennel Master's revenge.

As she did, her training and years of experience had her unconsciously surveying her surroundings and coming to an odd conclusion.

"For a place that's supposed to be millennia old, this room looks surprisingly modern." The blonde with the coiled hair said, gesturing at the art deco style that dominated the interior design of the room the team currently found themselves in.

"What the hell?" Frank, the uncultured brute, shot back while looking at her like she was crazy.

Which was completely uncalled for! She was just making an observation.

"Ellen likes to experiment with styles," Viola chimed in. "She likes to play around with things she sees from the various time periods she's visited."

"I don't think we should be worrying about the decor." The girl's father said, as he eyed their surroundings warily. More specifically as he glared at the room's light source.

Hovering all over the place were dozens of winged balls of light that were flying seemingly without aim through the air, and served as the only source of illumination in the whole place.

"No need to worry, Dad." His daughter reassured the man. "They're just the House's Fairies. Pretty much all-round cleaners and light sources. They're harmless."

"Cleaners?" Frank asked, sounding oddly wary.

"Yeah," the suspiciously knowledgeable teenager nodded. "They keep things clean around the House by eating anything that might be considered rubbish."

"Anything!?" Hazel shouted.

That was the wrong thing to do however as it promptly aroused some unwanted attention as evidenced by the sound of familiar shambling and moans.

"Shit!" Marcus cursed as he shot Hazel a glare.

The mage in question returned an apologetic smile, but he didn't see it as he had already turned to Viola and gestured at her to take the lead.

The girl obeyed and the team formed up behind her as they ran down a hallway and away from the increasingly close sounds of a Zombie horde.

"Viola, what can we expect?" The team leader asked as they began to gain some distance from their pursuers.

"Lots of things," the girl shouted back unhelpfully. "But here on the ground floor, it's just Zombies. Lots and lots of Zombies."

As if to prove this point, a door suddenly materialized right in front of them and burst open as a horde of the undead creatures poured out.

The team immediately responded and opened fire on the reanimated corpses with wild abandon. There was simply no need to aim. They were so numerous that even the most sloppily targeted shot or spell would hit something.

Even as the rest of the team was busy mowing down one undead abomination after another, Viola had chosen to be more productive. Using a spell that frankly made Hazel jealous, the girl distorted the space between individual members of the Zombie horde into something out of a surrealist painting and created a safe path for the team to run through.

"Where are we going?"

"We need to get upstairs," Viola replied, not even sounding winded despite all the running and the impressive spell she'd just cast. "Ellen's room is on the top floor. So we're heading for the grand staircase at the front of the house."

"That's a bad idea," Marcus countered. "There's probably a boss waiting for us there and I really don't think we want to be forced to fight one while also surrounded by a mob of Zombies."

"Gotta agree with the boss." Frank chimed in, even as Hans nodded.

_How the hell are they all not even breathing hard?_ Hazel wondered. She was practically panting by now and was barely keeping up.

_At least I'm not the only one…_ The woman comforted herself as she eyed how the elder Smith was likewise struggling to keep pace with everyone else.

"Any other stairs?"

"Yeah, what Hans said." Frank barked in agreement, even as he both ran and fired his minigun into the unending tide of undead that still surrounded them. "Preferably one nearby? Running and gunning ain't as fun outside of video games as I'd have thought even with magic and whatever bullshit the House is doing to my stamina."

Viola seemed to think for a moment before she pointed to a set of sturdy oaken doors a dozen or so feet down the hallway.

"The Library! It's just up ahead and there's stairs there."

Without bothering to reply, Marcus sprinted ahead and slammed into one of the doors with his shoulder, forcing it open.

"Get in! Now!"

Hazel didn't need to be told twice as with a final push she rushed into the presumed safety of the House's Library.

* * *

Paul was, as was becoming the norm, the last to make it into the room. He had barely stepped past the threshold when Marcus pulled the door to the Library closed with a slam, shutting out the endless hordes of Zombies.

Catching his breath, the demon summoner took a moment to ponder on the House's strange effect on the team's stamina. It allowed them to get out of breath but never truly tired, restoring their strength as soon as it drained away from exertion. It thus only took him less than a minute to fully recover from the intense run he'd just been through where he would normally have taken minutes of wheezing to do so.

_Outsiders! Just what_ can't _they do?_ Paul mused with disgust, even as his eyes strayed to look at his beloved daughter. _Then again not_ everything _they do is terrifying or monstrous…_

He flinched at that train of thought and ruthlessly crushed it. That line of thinking only led to pain and madness.

He nervously looked around to see if anyone had noticed his odd behaviour, but breathed a relieved sigh when it seemed they had all been too busy either catching their own breaths or surveying their new surroundings.

Deciding that it would be best to avoid suspicion, he followed their lead.

The Library was a massive affair that was full of innumerable bookshelves that reached all the way up to the ceiling on the second floor. It was however not empty, instead occupied by countless shadowy shades in the shape of random people, including young children. All of whom seemed to be reading.

Paul noticed that the team were poised to attack these creatures if necessary but were holding back and looking towards his daughter for clarification.

"They're Shadow People." Viola whispered. "They aren't usually hostile unless you get very close and disturb their reading."

"Just like the Vermin?" Hans asked, as he lowered his shotgun.

"Yeah, but they have have an even smaller aggro range."

"Are we using gaming terms to describe the attributes of monsters now?" Hazel sniffed disdainfully.

Viola crossed her arms and glared at the older mage. "It's how Ellen explained things to me."

Paul felt a stab of fear and worry at the casual way his daughter once more mentioned the Outsider that ruled the House. It was yet more fuel to the growing suspicion as to why this Ellen monster had chosen to allow them entry into her domain. A suspicion that he wanted to deny with his all his being but which he found increasingly difficult to do.

_Not my Viola! Never Viola, not if I can help it._ Paul swore to himself, even as Marcus finally decided to do his job and stepped in to defuse the brewing argument between the two women.

"Leave it be, Hazel." The black man told the girl with the ridiculous curls.

Said woman just huffed in irritation but didn't press the issue.

Apparently satisfied, Marcus turned to address Viola.

"Where's the stairs?"

Viola pointed to the far side of the vast room.

"There's a set to the first floor at the other end, but it's guarded by a boss called the Librarian. She holds the key to the door at its top."

"Another boss?" Frank groaned, expressing how everyone felt at the prospect.

"Viola, know anything useful about it?" Hans asked hopefully.

"Not much," Viola confessed with a shake of her head. "She likes to keep to herself. All I know is that she's a Shadow Person like the other beings that live in the library and that makes her ethereal. Oh! And that she's an elemental mage too."

"A mage?" Hazel smirked. "If this Librarian is a mage, then I'll just have to show it what that _really_ means, won't I?"

"Hazel," Marcus hissed, shooting her a warning look. "Considering what we've faced so far, do you think it's going to be that easy? This boss is more likely to kill you than anything if you decide to show off."

The mage deflated at the barb.

"I know," the woman had the good graces to admit. "I was just joking."

Marcus looked ready to comfort her, but that was interrupted as Hans whistled softly and pointed towards a Shadow Person, its nose buried in a book and walking in their direction.

Nodding in acknowledgement of the warning, the team leader gestured for them to move out.

Forming up, the team proceeded to carefully skirt around the Shadow Person and cautiously make their way towards the stairs.

* * *

Paul would never admit it, but when they'd started their slow, careful trek through the House's Library, he had doubted Viola's word as to the location of the stairs. Not because he didn't trust her, but more due to his distrust for Outsiders. His daughter's knowledge of the House and its workings had been derived from its eldritch master after all, and there was no real reason for it to have been honest.

Thus, as ten minutes passed with nothing but endless bookshelves and reading Shadow People in sight, Paul was honestly surprised as he spotted a staircase in the distance.

_It took ten minutes of walking just for us to get close enough to see it!?_ Paul thought, flabbergasted. _Just how big is this library? And how much knowledge is there in here?_

Judging by the look of longing on Hazel's face as they walked past shelf after shelf of what was likely priceless wisdom, he knew she felt the same.

Turning to admire the rows of shelves himself, he spotted something that was decidedly out of place.

Standing between two shelves was a being who was clearly _not_ a Shadow Person, perusing the shelves.

"Marcus," the summoner whispered, while pointing to the strange woman.

The team leader looked to see what had caught his attention, and tensed. He quickly shot a look to Viola, who shook her head, before turning to Hazel who likewise responded in the negative.

The black man seemed to weigh the pros and cons for a moment, before gesturing for the team to change direction and cautiously approach the woman.

"Hello there," the man said as they got close enough to whisper.

Startled, the unknown spun around in surprise. Her eyes widening in shock at seeing them. Particularly, Paul noticed with dread, as she spotted Viola. A part of him noticed that there was an element of falsehood to her actions though, but even as the thought crossed his mind it slipped away and was forgotten.

_Yet more proof it seems that this Outsider Ellen has sinister designs on my daughter._ The father reasoned as he shot a worried glance at his little girl.

He sets his worries aside for now though, instead choosing to inspect the mysterious woman.

She would have been considered tall if she had been a human woman, but she was clearly not human, though her race was unfamiliar to him. She had dusky cocoa skin and inhuman amber eyes that lacked pupils or sclerae, as well as elfin tapered ears. Her raven black hair was tamed in a loose, messy ponytail with two longish bangs left out to frame her face. She was dressed in light leather armor that he imagined was deliberately designed to not encumber her. Most noticeable of all however was the electrically charged atmosphere around her.

"Um, hello?" The humanoid returned their leader's greeting uncertainly.

Marcus smiled at her reassuringly, a look that Paul privately thought was ruined by their clearly military attire and the plethora of weapons they were carrying.

Either unaware of this or more likely not caring, the team leader forged ahead and, still smiling, asked, "What are you doing here?"

The elfish woman seemed ready to refuse to answer for a moment before a quick glance at Viola - which once more sent a shiver of worry down Paul's spine - seemed to loosen her tongue.

"My name is Taana Baryn Zyfyn," she said with a bow angled specifically to face Viola. "An Exarch of the Overgod Ainz Ooal Gown, and here on his behalf to borrow a book from the Mistress of the House."

Paul was unfamiliar with the name Ainz Ooal Gown but it had to be another Outsider. What else would have the gall to call itself something as pretentious as an Overgod?

"Exarch?" Viola asked curiously, seemingly oblivious to the deferential way she was being addressed.

"A high ranking servant," the Taana woman explained.

"Of Ainz Ooal Gown?" Frank said skeptically and receiving a nod in return. The heavy frowned at that, "Never heard of any god called that."

"That's a given. The Supreme One has no cult on your world." The Outsider's servant informed him with a smile.

Hazel sucked in a breath at that.

"That makes him an Outsider." The blonde woman said, stating the obvious

"That would indeed be what the people of your world call beings of great power from other worlds which choose to interact with them." Taana agreed with a nod.

"A being of great power?" Paul scoffed. "If he was so great why is this god of yours so lazy as to send one of his servants to get his book instead of coming himself?"

As he expected, the Outsider's servant jumped to its master's defence.

"Do not insult my Lord again or you'll regret it." The woman warned him with a withering gaze and a voice that oozed deadly menace. The smell of ozone filled the air and small bursts of static arcing off her body.

His team tensed, but Paul knew this was nothing but bluster. This woman was a mere servant running an errand for her master in the domain of another Outsider. She would not let something as minor as an insult force her into causing an incident that might damage the relationship between her "Supreme One" and the House's Mistress. Or for that matter her master's ties to _her_.

In confirmation of his reasoning, she calmed, seemingly without any effort, and proceeded to answer his question in a more normal tone.

"I am here on my master's behalf because Ainz-sama is barred from entry into the House himself."

Paul was tempted to needle the woman a bit more but was preempted by his daughter.

"Is Ainz Ooal Gown the nice skeletal Overlord that scares all the other Outsiders so much Ellen was forced to ban him so he wouldn't upset her other friends?" Viola asked, her eyes glowing in excitement in the way they always did when she'd figured something out.

The Taana woman nodded, even as the rest of the team recoiled. Apparently the idea of an Outsider that could scare other Outsiders was too much for them.

"Oh!" Viola said happily, oblivious to the others' reactions. "Ellen is very sorry for that. Your master knows that right?"

"Of course, Miss," the elfin humanoid said with a reassuring smile. "Ainz-sama understands Lady Ellen's position. Her House is often a gathering place for other Outsiders. A sort of neutral ground for their kind, as such having someone who unsettles the others like my god around would be detrimental to its purpose."

"I'm glad that Lord Ainz is so understanding," Viola replied with a thankful nod.

The errand girl looked at Viola oddly for a moment, probably wondering why she would show her god such respect as to call him "Lord," but easily washed the look away with a smile before the spatial mage noticed.

"I'll be sure to let Ainz-sama hear that, Miss Viola," the Outsider's servant said while offering Viola another bow. "But for now I think I've waylaid you and your party long enough. Please, do continue your quest."

"Quest?" Frank snorts. "What are you, some NPC from an old RPG?"

"Nope," she replied with a teasing smile. "Just an Adventurer from a land where endeavors like this are pretty much a regular Tuesday. Or at least a decent warmup."

"Wha-"

Before Frank could finish his question though, Marcus elbowed him in the gut.

"Thank you for your time, Miss Zyfyn."

The woman just smiled and waved them off, before turning and wandering away into the stacks.

The team stood there watching her go, unnerved by the encounter.

Paul couldn't speak for the others, but the woman had reminded him of some things that he'd rather forget.

Not all of them were shaken though, as unlike the others Viola seemed pleased by the encounter. A fact that unsettled Paul as yet another sign of the Outsiders' dark plans for his daughter.

As the woman finally disappeared behind the endless shelves, Marcus recovered enough of his wits to signal for the team to get moving again.

Complying, Paul fell into formation with the others as they continued their walk through the Library. He had hoped that this meant they would put the encounter with that Taana woman behind them, but that was dashed when Hans turned to Viola with a question.

"Hey Viola, why does Ainz Ooal Gown unnerve the other Outsiders?"

Viola shrugged. "I'm not fully sure herself but I can tell you what Ellen told me once."

"Hit us." Frank chimed in, sounding just as curious as the sniper was.

"Well, supposedly Ainz Ooal Gown is one of the few Outsiders who became what he is without losing his humanity. Or at least not much of it. In that way, he scares the others because he reminds them of everything they gave up to become what they are, and how it might have been possible to do so without sacrificing as much as they had."

"So he upsets them because he's proof that their sacrifices might not have been necessary?" Hazel asked, sounding thoughtful.

"Pretty much," Viola agreed with a nod. "Though he probably also symbolizes all they lost."

"Fascinating," the older woman replied distractedly.

Conversation dried up after that as they walked on in silence, each preoccupied by their own thoughts.

Paul himself was struggling to come to terms with the idea that Outsiders, or at least _some_ of them, were once human. It planted an insane idea into his mind that had him looking at Viola worriedly.

He was thankfully distracted from the disturbing turn his thoughts had taken by their finally reaching the stairs.

Looking up, he saw that it led to a landing, on the other end of which was a door to the first floor. In front of said door and lounging on a sofa, almost completely hidden between towering piles of stacked books, was a Shadow Person that had to be the Librarian.

Like all her kind, her flesh was made up entirely of shadow. However, in contrast to the plain outfits worn by the other Shadow People, the boss was dressed in a witch outfit someone would wear on Halloween, complete with long black dress and pointed hat.

"Viola," Marcus asked as he began prepping for the fight ahead by _double checking_ his gun was loaded with the magazine that he'd swapped to when they had first entered the Library. The one that allowed him to fire magical shots instead of his default blessed bullets. "Any last minute intel you'd like to tell us about the Librarian?"

Viola bit her bottom lip in the way she always did when she was trying to recall something for a moment before shaking her head.

Nodding, the man turned to Hans and Paul.

"Cover our backs," he ordered them. "The boss is sure to call on the other Shadow People to join the fight once it gets started."

Both men nodded in acknowledgment. Paul immediately ordering his hellhounds to fan out and be poised to intercept any of the shades that might rush their rear while Hans readied his musket.

Done with their preparations, they nodded to Marcus who promptly raised his gun and took aim at the still idling boss.

* * *

Viola watched in fascination as the Librarian continued to lounge, reading on the couch even as the team spread out around her. The boss must have noticed them by now, but she continued to studiously ignore them.

Was this some kind of trick? It certainly seemed like it, though the teenager didn't know the bibliophile well enough to be certain.

As the first of Marcus' and Frank's magical blasts slammed into her however, Viola was forced to reassess her presumption that this was a trick.

Instead of pulling up a barrier or teleporting or any number of other moves that would have turned the tables, the Librarian did nothing but screech in indignant surprise as the attacks landed.

"How dare you interrupt my reading!?" She hollered in a shrill voice as she floated into the air and looked down on them with angry disdain. "Feel my wrath! **Firaga!** "

At her command, a firestorm swept out from around her and threatened to burn the whole team alive, but seemed to leave the various books it passed unscathed.

Viola acted quickly and warped space with a thought, wrapping her teammates in protective bubbles of distorted space that kept them safe.

At the same time, Hazel decided to fight fire with fire and unleashed her own spell on the boss. " **Fira!** "

The Librarian was immediately engulfed in a pillar of flame.

"Pathetic!" The monster said with a chuckle. " **Aero!** "

Its spell unleashed a blast of air that not only smothered the flames surrounding it but sent Frank and Marcus, who had not once stopped shooting at it since the start of the fight, flying. Even as she warped space so the two men came in for a soft landing, Viola idly noted that again none of the boss' books were affected by its spell.

"Damnit! **Thunder!** " Hazel shouted as she sent a bolt of lightning at the enemy witch, distracting it as Frank and Marcus struggled to their feet.

Despite the relative low power of the spell compared to the firepower the men had already unleashed against it, Hazel's spell somehow seemed to capture the Librarian's attention and it spun impossibly fast to bat the lightning aside and glare down at the curly-haired blonde.

"Weak," the monster hissed. " **Thundaga!** "

A storm of lightning bolts surged through the air towards Hazel, merging together mid flight into a single lance of terrifying electrical power.

_I don't know if my spatial barriers will be enough! Better play it safe._

Putting thought to action, Viola raised several new barriers in between her beleaguered comrade and the deadly incoming attack. A precaution that proved fully warranted when the powerful lightning spell shattered two of the barriers before fizzling out.

"Impressive," the Librarian commented with a nod towards Viola.

Startled, the teenager could only nod back.

Off balance, the sound of explosions from behind caught Viola's attention and despite the enemy in front of her, she turned around to see what was going on.

Just as Marcus had predicted, the Shadow People were rushing to the boss' assistance. Forcing Dad and Hans to hold them back. Thankfully, they were both able to use the natural choke point created by the stairs to their advantage, and successfully fend off the pressing masses of Shadow People.

Dad had beefed up the small pack of hellhounds with a firing line of fireball-throwing imps that were taking the down the enemy at range, while the aforementioned canine demons took care of any who got through. It seemed Dad had worked around the Shadow People's immunity to physical attacks by quickly ordering his demons to cover themselves in hellfire.

He was doing a good job, but still utterly paled in comparison to the toll Hans was reaping on the enemy. His magic bullets were literally taking out whole ranks of Shadow People with each pass, thinning their numbers to more manageable levels for Dad.

"Viola, a little help!"

Frank's desperate call had the spatial mage spinning back around to the fight against the Librarian. Both he and Marcus were running to and fro behind the cover of the towers of books and firing at the Librarian.

Said monster however seemed to have chosen to ignore them and was instead focusing on a decidedly one-sided duel with Hazel.

" **Blizzara!** " The frazzled looking older woman cast, sending a barrage of icicles at the Librarian.

" **Counterspell**!" The monster said with a lazy wave of her hand, that dispelled Hazel's spell.

" **Counterspell!"** " **Counterspell**!" The dueling mages cast at the same time.

Hazel could only stare in shock as the spell she'd probably planned to dispel the Librarian's next attack with, was itself dispelled. Exploiting the chance, the monster cast another spell.

" **Blizzaga!** "

The older mage was still too unnerved by her plan being foiled to react in time, and would have been killed if Viola hadn't thrown up a barrier to protect her from the massive storm of jagged ice lances thrown her way. A barrier that, to Viola's shock, shattered in the face of the sheer amount of magical power behind the spell.

It served its purpose however and kept Hazel safe. Physically at least.

Emotionally though… This fight was taking a toll on the woman.

"How? How does it seem to know exactly what I'll do?" Hazel screamed suddenly as she flung another lightning bolt at the Librarian, only for it to be deflected, and a brace of vacuum blades to be sent back at her in retaliation.

"You like blades? Try mine!" Viola taunted the Librarian, as she cast her spatial slash spell on the boss bisecting it.

Unlike the previous bosses she'd defeated using the spell, the Librarian didn't turn to mush. Instead, it just laughed.

"Good try!" The boss said cheerfully, even as it stitched itself back together.

"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me!" Frank shouted indignantly.

"Yo," a familiar voice suddenly shouted from somewhere within the room's many bookshelves. "Don't be intimidated. It's fooling you."

_That voice! It's Taana!_

"Actually, the Librarian is taking tons of damage and won't last much longer."

"Visitor, what do you think you're doing?" The Librarian asked, sounding annoyed. While at the same time using a spell that caused the ground to explode all around them and send her attackers to the ground.

"Nothing much," Taana replied, sounding almost bored. "Just helping out a friend."

"Damn you for interfering." The boss cursed, as Viola took Taana's advice and hit it with another spatial slash.

It stitched itself back together once again, but staggered as it did so. Hazel sent a lightning bolt its way, but it batted it away just as Viola hit it a third spatial slash.

Once more, it repaired its body but the damage was too much and it collapsed to its knees as it did so. Its shadowy face solidified in the process, revealing Hazel's recognizable features.

"Wha-!?" The mage gasped as she looked at her doppelgänger.

"Ignore it!" Marcus ordered as he and Frank kept shooting at the weakened Librarian. "It's a trick."

"No wait! Stop!" Viola shouted urgently. "It's not a trick!"

Unlike the Hedge Maze fiasco, the team listened.

"Viola, what are you saying?" Marcus asked, his gun still aimed at the monster.

"I don't believe it." Viola said, shaking her head in stunned disbelief. "But it's not a trick. The Librarian _is_ Hazel."

"Impossible!" Their Hazel shouted in denial.

The Librarian staggered back to its feet and shot its counterpart a look of amused contempt.

"Oh really now? You should have realized by now that the House has a rather loose relationship with time. Considering that, is my existence really such an impossibility, younger me?" The Librarian asked in a deprecatingly teasing tone.

"No, but-"

"Hazel, don't listen to the bitch!" Frank roared as he stepped out from behind a tower of books and unleashed everything he had at the Librarian.

The monster just sighed and waved a hand in his direction, sending him flying with a single powerful telekinetic push.

Nobody made a move to stop her. Everyone was too stunned by the revelation of her identity.

"Actually, you lot really _should_ listen to me." The possible future Hazel said, with a malicious smile even as shadows slowly seemed to lengthen around it. Not that anyone noticed. "It will save you a lot of grief if you accept your fates now. Because you're all doomed to never truly leave the House. Though if it's any consolation, younger me, it's not something you'll find truly onerous. As the library here has and will keep us satisfied for eons."

Hazel just took a step back from the boss and shook her head in denial.

"You know something?" The Librarian asked suddenly.

"What?" Viola replied automatically.

"You're a bunch of **fools**!" The boss shouted as she cupped her hands and gathered a massive amount of energy. " **Dragon Sl-** "

She never got a chance to finish her spell, as she was mid-cast when a bolt of lightning in the shape of a writhing Eastern dragon slammed into her. She convulsed in agony for a long moment, as the electrical energy of the spell discharged itself into her body. As it finally finished running its course, the spell left behind nothing but a pile of mush.

No one on the team paid the Librarian's demise any mind though, instead all their attention had been gripped by Hazel's simultaneous scream. Spinning to face her, they watched as she writhed in sympathetic agony to her monstrous future self and blood began to literally pour out of every conceivable part of her body.

Helpless, they could only watch as their teammate died.

* * *

**And another long chapter is done. Hooray!**

**For this chapter there's really only two things I want to discuss. Taana and Hazel.**

**So I hope you guys like Taana. She's actually a character created by my wonderful beta, AllForFire for another fic we plan to work together on in the future but which we decided to introduce here as a cameo/teaser. Don't worry, you won't really need to read that fic to understand who she is. She's pretty much explained everything that's relevant to this story already.**

**AllForFire: Oh man oh man, my girl getting to make her entrance!~ Hope you guys will like her too.^^**

**As for Hazel… Well, actually I just wanted to ask you guys what you think about her death? Please do let me know in a review.**

**AllForFire: Excruciatingly painful, I would imagine, and not just physically…^^'**

**That's all really, so until next time, peace out!**


	13. Magic Lessons

**Disclaimer: I don't own Witch's House or any of the IPs from which my imported characters originate.**

**Why Cute Witches Should Deal With Outsiders (And Their Lairs)**

**Chapter 12: Magic Lessons**

**Beta: AllForFire**

* * *

A seven year old Ellen was hiding in a dark corner of the library with the Black Cat, eagerly waiting for her teacher to start today's lesson.

What type of lesson you might ask? Well, magic lessons of course!

Shocking, right? But it's true, magic was real.

And ever since she'd somehow learned to hear what the Black Cat was saying, he'd been teaching it to her. In fact, according to Black Cat, she was super talented at it.

Which just made it all the more fun for Ellen. Not only was it interesting to study, but she was even good at it! Not that she wasn't good at her other studies, but she was extra good at magic and that added just that little edge to the whole thing.

So it was that whenever she could get away with it, she would sneak into the library and Black Cat would start teaching her.

She'd chosen the library of all places because it was the one place in the whole estate that her parents never seemed to go. Ellen found that a little strange considering the place was so big.

Her father had spent a lot of money and time building it. She'd heard the older servants say so.

Why then did he now want nothing to do with it?

It was a mystery and Ellen itched to figure it out.

But not right now. Right now, it was time to learn some magic.

"Alright, let's start this lesson like always with a quick recap of what we covered last lesson." The magical feline declared with a stern look in her direction.

Getting the prompt for what it was, Ellen dutifully began recapping the content of their previous class.

"We covered temporal magic last time, specifically what rules about traveling through time and space had to be observed to avoid paradoxes that could threaten the very fabric of reality."

"And what are these rules?"

"Rule number one: Avoid meeting other iterations of yourself from different points in time and if you do meet them, keep interactions to the bare minimum."

The cat nodded and gestured for her to continue with a flick of its tail.

"Rule number two: Do not attempt to change fixed points in time."

"And the last rule?"

"Rule number three: If you encounter the being known as The Doctor, inform The Bitter immediately and leave it to her to deal with that menace."

"Are those really _all_ the rules to time travel?" Ellen asked disbelievingly.

"Of course not," Black Cat said with a chuckle. "But they're the rules that matter. Especially to beings like us."

"Beings like us?" Ellen asked, with a confused frown. "So chronomancers?"

With one last amused chuckle, Black Cat ignored her question and changed the subject.

"Have you finished your homework?"

Ellen nodded eagerly and reached into the pocket dimension that Black Cat had taught her how to create in an earlier lesson and pulled out a earthenware cup.

"Here it is, Master, the Holy Grail." The young lady said with a eager smile.

"Put it down, Ellen."

She complied and the cat walked around it, examining it closely.

After a long moment, he gave a satisfied nod.

"Good job, my apprentice." Black Cat complimented. "Now the first part of this assignment is complete."

"First part?"

"Indeed," Black Cat said with a feline smile. "You see after today's lesson, you'll need to finish the second part of the assignment as your homework. Your task will be to return the cup back in time, but not to where you found it. Instead, you are to place it at the time and place where it next appears in history."

Ellen frowned at that.

"But I don't know when or where that was."

"Which is why today's lesson will be about psychometry, the ability to learn all there is to learn about an object just by looking at it. A necessary skill to have when influencing time, as it is essential to know the exact limits of what you can do with the things you interact with, to avoid paradoxes."

_This all sounds so exciting!_ Ellen thought to herself as her excitement boiled over and she couldn't resist bouncing in her seat.

Black Cat chuckled at her enthusiasm.

"Well, you're certainly eager aren't you?" Black Cat observed with an indulgent smile. "That's a wonderful attitude to have."

Ellen just nodded.

With an amused shake of his head, Black Cat began the lesson.

"Psychometry-"

* * *

**And so another short chapter is done.**

**So some of you might be wondering who's the Bitter?**

**Well, she's basically Donna Noble from the Doctor Who franchise who, after living her perfectly ordinary life, dies like a perfectly normal person. Unfortunately, her corpse ends up falling through one of the cracks in the universe that were a running theme of 2010's Series 5 and gets revived as an Outsider known as the Bitter through interactions between the non-existent 'space' on the other side of the crack and the lingering Time Lord essence within her.**

**She's become a being whose entire existence is defined by her bitterness at what the Doctor has done to her, first forcing her into a normal life against her will and then secondly how the Time Lord essence deprived her of a proper death. Now her life's goal is to make the Doctor feel the same bitterness she is forced to live with. She doesn't want to kill him. Oh no! Her objective is to make him suffer. Endlessly. Just like she suffers.**

**Basically, she's my dig at how the Doctor basically can be said to just use and discard his Companions. It's not entirely fair, but it's not entirely wrong either. And I really wish the series would address it a bit more.**

**AllForFire: Never** _ **properly**_ **managed to get into and catch up on Doctor Who (Blasphemy/HERESY! I know, but what can you do.^^'), but indeed, can agree with the sentiment. And with the explaining, because indeed this went over my head too the first time. X)**

**Anyways, that's enough ranting from me about a single line plot idea/teaser.**

**Till next time, peace out!**


	14. The Schoolroom

**Disclaimer: I don't own Witch's House or any of the IPs from which my imported characters originate.**

**Why Cute Witches Should Deal With Outsiders (And Their Lairs)**

**Chapter 13: The Schoolroom**

**Beta: AllForFire**

* * *

Even as Hazel gasped out an agonized last breath, a detached part of Viola's mind noted rather impassively that the Shadow People that had been attacking them in support of the Librarian had started to flee.

The young woman simultaneously was proud of that aspect of herself and disgusted by it. Here she was all but crushed by the weight of her shock, horror and grief, and yet she was able to maintain at least some degree of situational awareness. Wasn't that a sign of a professional? Was that something she truly wanted to be?

These thoughts however were largely drowned out by the overwhelming tide of raw sadness that Hazel's death had induced. The older mage had seemed to really dislike Viola, which was expected in their situation, but the teenager was sure that she'd slowly grown on the woman. Considering how much more skilled and learned the Edelfelt had been, she had hopefully been looking forward to eventually earning her trust and learning a thing or two from her. Now though… Now all that was a pipe dream. Hazel was dead.

A whisper in her mind told her she'd see her again. But Viola squashed that thought. The Librarian was _not_ Hazel Edelfelt! It might be a creature made from Hazel, but it wasn't the woman herself. Hazel would never have attacked her team. Viola was sure of that!

_Oh really?_ A voice that Viola thought bore the echoes of Ellen's whispered in annoyance even as it trailed off.

For a moment, Viola was horrified and took a step back from where she'd been standing staring at where Hazel's corpse should have been. It had, like the Librarian's remains and those of most of the House's monsters, rapidly turned to mush.

_Was that Ellen? Had I just annoyed Ellen!?_ Viola thought to herself as she gasped in alarm, her hands coming up to cover her mouth.

Likely misinterpreting the cause of her upset, Dad came over to pull her into an awkward hug.

Awkward not only because Dad had never been much of a person to show physical affection. Or affection of any kind for that matter. But mainly because Viola was suddenly hit with a painful revelation.

_I care more about Ellen's disapproval than the death of a comrade!_ Turning to her Dad, Viola looked up at his grizzled face with tears in her eyes. _Even if it was Dad… I'm a terrible person!_

With this conclusion, the teenager threw herself the short distance into her father's embrace and began to cry into his shirt.

"Yo," Taana's confused voice said, coming closer. "What's with the tears? You lot do know that your friend isn't dead, right?"

Viola got herself under control and turned to add her glare to those of the rest of the team.

The lightning mage raised a brow at that, but otherwise didn't react to the hostility being thrown her way.

"It's the truth and you know it!" The woman pressed. "The Librarian will revive eventually and since she's the same person as your fr-"

"She isn't!" Marcus insisted as he marched up to Taana and grabbed her by her collar. "That thing _isn't_ Hazel!"

The demi-human mage swept his hands off her person with an accompanying burst of static that had the black man wincing.

"Denying the facts does no one any good."

Marcus looked ready to punch her, but thankfully Frank rushed forward to restrain him even as Hans began to talk him down.

"Marcus, calm down!" The sniper said in a surprisingly composed tone considering the circumstances. "We _all_ knew that taking this mission meant there was a good chance we'd not make it back. Even Hazel. You shouldn't be making less of her sacrifice by wasting time arguing here, we should be moving on."

"He's right," Taana concurred with an expression that spoke of personal experience. "Even if you lose a loved one, the quest must go on."

"Shut up!" The team leader said venomously as he shook Frank off and proceeded to walk over to where the Librarian had fallen.

Bending down, he picked the small silver key that its death had left behind, and without turning addressed Viola, "Will this key open the door to the next room?"

"Y-Yes," Viola said while trying her best, and largely failing, to hide her anxiety at the revelation she'd discovered after her recent bout of self-reflection behind a veneer of professionalism.

"Then we should get going." Taana said with a smile as she walked calmly towards the door that led out of the Library.

"You're not coming with us!" Marcus ordered as he spun back around to glare at the mage.

"Oh, yes I am, Mister Soldier." The demi-human insisted, meeting his glare with a determined one of her own. "We're going in the same direction, so I'm tagging along."

Marcus looked ready to refuse, and who could blame him, but…

"Marcus," Viola cut in nervously. "We need all the help we can get. Especially…"

The young woman trailed off with a sob. Not necessarily entirely for her the loss of her teammate.

Marcus was clearly conflicted and looked at the rest of the team questioningly.

He received nods of ready, if uneasy, agreement from both Hans and Frank. Even Dad assented, though he looked deeply unhappy about having to do so.

"Fine!" Marcus agreed through gritted teeth. "But you're going to follow my orders got it?"

"Crystal," the demi-human said with a salute that had her place her clenched fist over her heart and bowing slightly.

Marcus just nodded in return before signalling for everyone to form up.

The team obeyed, with Taana replacing Hazel's position in their formation. This, Viola realized, showed just how well versed the mysterious mage was in this kind of thing.

_Was she some kind of special ops soldier back on her world too?_ The teenager wondered idly as the team opened the exit and was greeted with the sight of a gigantic classroom across the threshold.

"It's the Schoolroom," Viola informed the others without prompting as they surveyed their next challenge from the relative safety of the Library side of the doorway. "It's the remodeled room where Ellen had her lessons as a little girl."

"What are those?" Marcus said gesturing to the suits of futuristic full body armor that were scattered in the seats throughout, and along the walls.

"They're members of the Collective," Viola explained. "Think Cybermen."

"From Doctor Who?" Dad asked incredulously and eyeing her with suspicion.

Viola briefly felt herself get defensive. Yes, the Collective were the result of her telling Ellen once how she thought the Cybermen were the coolest, but… Oh! Who was she kidding? They totally had the right to blame her for the abominations.

Though not all of them, for at the head of the room and next to the door that must be its exit was a monster that Viola didn't recognize. Which was troubling, as its placement meant it was most probably the boss of the room.

The monster had the naked upper body of a bald woman encased in a green tinted bubble-shaped energy shield. The human body ended at the waist, where it was attached to the shoulders of an oversized humanoid suit of futuristic armor whose designs matched with those of the lesser creatures of the Collective.

Not that much of that registered with the majority of Viola's mind. No, the moment she'd turned her attention to the boss, the majority of her attention had been drawn to her full breasts and had been riveted there ever since.

_Ellen's are smaller, but more beautiful._ Viola couldn't help but think as she continued to stare at the boss' mammaries.

"That broad has a nice set of knockers doesn't she?" Frank asked the teenager in a lecherous whisper and Viola couldn't help herself as she nodded.

Blushing brilliantly at having been caught ogling, the spatial mage shook her head of the thoughts. She couldn't afford to be distracted right now! She was on a mission damnit!

_I'm not thinking about how nice it would be to touch Ellen's boobs right now! Not at all!_ Viola told herself sternly, completely missing the amused look Frank was shooting her or her father's disapproving glare.

"Viola, what can we expect from these monsters?" Marcus asked, providing her with just the distraction that she needed from her lewd thoughts.

Viola was about to reply when Taana gently grabbed the side of her head, and turned it from the sight of the exposed breasts that they had once again gravitated towards to look at Marcus.

"Stop staring," the demi-human whispered into her ear. "It might upset Lady Ellen."

Viola blushed harder than ever before, and nodded.

Dad seemed upset about this for some reason and glared daggers at the lightning mage, but Taana shot him a glare in return and he backed down.

"Viola, the monsters?" Marcus pressed.

"Right, um, give me a minute." Viola replied as she searched memory for any information on the inhabitants of the Schoolroom. She was struggling though, as while her love of the Cybermen had inspired the Collective's creation, she frankly knew precious little about them. Ellen disliked entering the Schoolroom and thus rarely brought Viola there which meant the blonde had little exposure to its denizens.

Helpfully though this was when a quick infodump filled her brain.

_Thanks Ellen!_

"Right, the Collective," Viola said as confidently as she could. "They're humans fully encased in metallic suits of various designs. Most have cybernetically-grafted energy weapons to complement their impressive armor."

"They sound like the Borg," Frank commented.

"More like the Cybermen," Hans corrected. "Or weren't you listening earlier?"

"Didn't know what those were," Frank replied with a shrug.

Viola ignored the two men as Hans gave the heavy a quick cliff notes explanation of what the Cybermen were and continued with her explanation.

"Some of them have a symbiotic relationship with another type of monster called Flesh Melter swarms. These are colonies of flesh-eating microscopic beings which will surge out of wherever they're nesting and try to strip the flesh from our bones if they get the chance."

"Great! Now we have rip-offs of Vashta Nerada too." Hans breathed in annoyance.

"Your suggestion too?" Dad said accusingly.

"No," Viola said, shaking her head earnestly. "They're Ellen's favorite Who villian."

"Team!"

Marcus' shout for order sobered the team, and they dropped their conversations to give him their full attention.

Nodding that he had reined them in, Marcus returned to interrogating Viola for details. "Anything you can share about the boss?"

"She's the Queen of the Collective and is equipped with the best weapons and armor, but if we take her out the rest of the Collective should shut down. At least I think so."

"You think so?"

"I've literally just learned about her from one of Ellen's infodumps into my head." Viola explained. "This is the first time I've _ever_ seen her. I don't know anything besides what Ellen let me know."

Marcus frowned as his brows furrowed in thought.

"Typical Outsider half-truths most likely," Dad said disparagingly.

"I've got to agree, boss." Hans added. "Are we really going to trust flimsy intel like that?"

"It's all we've got." Frank countered. "Besides, it's worked for us so far."

"The big man has it right," Taana said with a nod to the minigunner. "You shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth."

Marcus shot her a dark look, but she ignored him.

"Alright, I don't like it but we'll trust what Viola's found out." Marcus said with a resigned sigh after a long moment, turning away from his one-sided staring contest with Taana. "So here's the plan. Viola, use your spatial manipulation to keep the minions from properly engaging us. Redirect their weapons fire or just plain move them out of the way. Can you do that?"

Viola didn't even need to consider it. Even though before entering the House on this mission, something like that was impossible for her, as she was now? It would be child's play.

"No problem." She assured her team leader. "Leave it to me."

"What will the rest of us be doing?" Frank asked impatiently, his trigger finger itching to pull back and let him kill something.

"All of us, Viola included," Marcus corrected. "Will be making a mad dash for the boss. Anyone has any objections?"

There was a quick round of negatives, thought Taana followed hers up with a question.

"So you mind if I do something once we start off?"

"Do whatever you want?" Marcus grunted disinterestedly, as he took off in a sprint and the rest of team following behind him.

Smirking the demi-human cast her spell, " **Chain Lightning!** "

This sent a bolt of lightning at the nearest Collective unit as it started to move to intercept them, and sent it crashing to the ground with its armor badly scorched, even as the bolt arced to another enemy, taking it out as well before arcing a second time. In total, the spell must have taken out a dozen of the cyborg monsters before fizzling out.

Viola wasn't to be left out though. As soon as the the spell was cast by their new teammate, she focused her power and transformed their surroundings into a rendition of an Escher painting as the space warped at her command.

Neither feat got anywhere near the respect they should have though, both largely ignored by the team as they ran down the path Viola had created in the middle of her labyrinth of twisted reality. All whilst bolts of energy lit up the distorted space around them.

Ahead of them, the Queen had, like her minions, stirred to life, and was smiling at them in expectation even as they closed in.

"Beautiful," the boss said with want. "Such fine specimens. I'll love adding all of you to my collection, but first I need to trim away a little unwanted flesh."

With that rather ominous statement, she leveled a large arm-mounted cannon at them and fired a writhing black mass in their direction.

"Take it out!" Viola shouted, horrified at what she was seeing. "That's a whole Flesh Eater colony!"

" **Fir-** "

Dad was beaten to the punch though, as with a shout of " **Ball Lightning** ", Taana sent several balls of electricity streaking forward to intercept and incinerate the mass of deadly microbes.

Instead of being worried about so easily being countered, the Queen just laughed delightedly at the display.

"Fascinating! Truly fascinating." The crazy boss said amidst giggles. "The visitor's magic is absolutely intriguing. I can't wait to study it once I've added her to our Collective. Experimenting with it will occupy me for months."

"As much as you remind me of Demiurge-sama, I must respectfully decline." Taana shot back. "Though maybe you'll let this tide you over. **Dragon Lightning!** "

At her command, a dragon shaped lightning bolt struck the Queen in an impressive light show, but the boss used its body as a conduit to ground the immense electrical payload into the earth, causing the creature only minor damage.

"Shit! It's better armored than I thought." Taana cursed. "Hey! You lot open up already!"

"Don't be stupid!" Marcus shot back. "At this range?"

"Don't you have a space mage in your damn party?"

"Taana's right! Just shoot! I'll make sure you hit." Viola assured her team.

"If the little lady says so, then I'll bite." Frank said with a smile as came to a stop and fired a barrage at the still distant Queen.

As the masses of destruction magic flew through the air, Viola warped the space in front of them to allow them to close the distance with the boss well before their inherent instability would have caused them to prematurely detonate. Thus allowing them to slam into the monster with their full explosive fury.

Seeing his success, both Marcus, Hans and even Dad likewise stopped running and joined in. They poured bullets and fireballs at the Queen in a stream of raw death that was occasionally punctuated by the flash of lightning as Taana threw one of her own spells into the mix.

The Queen was not about to take the indignity unopposed however and counterattacked with a barrage of energy weapons and streams of Flesh Melters.

Unfortunately for the monster, the team had Viola. The spatial mage easily shifted space so as to redirect the Queen's barrage into her own minions, killing many of them.

The strain of so much spatial warping was getting to her though and sweat was starting building on her brow.

"Guys! I can't keep this up much longer." The blonde warned.

" **Dragon Lightning!** " Taana shouted before turning to Viola with an encouraging smile. "Hang in there."

Despite the epic headache that was threatening to split her head open, Viola returned the smile.

"You think this is enough to defeat me? Fools!" The boss arrogantly declared. "Taste the power of my Blackstorm!"

The 'Blackstorm' turned out to be a large new cannon that folded itself over the Queen's shoulder from where it had been slung along her back. It didn't look particularly menacing, being a relatively simplistic long barreled cannon.

Viola was about to dismiss it as a failed last ditch attempt by the monster to intimidate them, when the cannon fired and all such thoughts were washed aside by its sheer destructive power.

The Blackstorm fired micro black holes!

Gritting her teeth at the effort, Viola barely managed to shift the first micro singularity safely away from the team, only to be faced by yet another as the cannon barked once more. Again and again, the cannon fired, sending singularities hurtling at the team. With each new black hole, Viola came closer and closer to losing control over local space, thus dooming the whole team, as the sheer spatially distorting power of the singularities almost caused her own spatial distortions to collapse.

Thankfully, the team recognised the threat.

"Take out that gun!" Marcus ordered as everyone quickly redirected their fire at the weapon.

Dad's , Macrus' and Hans' attacks tore at its armored housing, weakening it and exposing the more vulnerable barrel underneath. At the same time, Frank's powerful explosive shots battered at its barrel, causing it to dent and deform. And lastly, Taana added the finishing touch by sending a **Dragon Lightning** spell right down the mouth of the cannon, causing it to explode.

The blast was so powerful that it caused the Queen to stagger and a large chunk of her by now heavily dented armor to fall off, exposing damaged internal circuitry and twisted flesh.

"No! This can't be happening." The boss ranted. "I became part of the House to find the perfect union of man and machine! Not to die! I will not die! I will not be defeated here!"

"Keeping telling yourself that, flasher lady!" Frank taunted, as he and the rest of the team exploited the exposed gap in the boss' armor and poured their fire into the opening.

If the monster heard him, she seemed to have chosen to ignore his comment as she instead chose to continue her rant.

"I didn't give up my career on the bleeding edge of scientific research just to die here to a bunch of primitives from three hundred years in the past!"

"It's from the future?" Hans asked, sounding shaken.

"Who cares?" Marcus shouted, his voice dripping with bloodlust. "Kill the bitch!"

As if his words were some kind of prophetic statement, the shield bubble around the Queen's human body collapsed. Perhaps they had unwittingly scored a lucky hit and took out its generator or her mechanical body had just sustained too much damage to keep it up, either was a possibility.

Not that it mattered to Marcus as he promptly went full auto on his assault rifle and unloaded his full clip into what remained of the Queen of the Collective's flesh and reducing it to gory pulp.

Immediately, more quickly than with any other monster so far, the Queen's corpse began to turn to mush.

At the same time, the many Fairies in the room suddenly went into a frenzy and started attacking the remaining Collective units. Some of the orb like creatures began shooting lightning at the mechanical monsters that seemed to eat away whole chunks of them at a time when they hit their targets. While other doubled in size and grew massive fanged maws that they proceeded to use to bite off bits of their fellow monsters.

The cyborgs tried to fight back with their various energy weapons but the tiny glowing creatures proved too agile and easily evaded their desperate attacks. At the same time, more and more Fairies were appearing in the room as if from nowhere and swarmed the Collective.

"What's happening?" Marcus asked in horrified awe as he and the team backed away from the slaughter.

"Looks like the Mistress is doing some housekeeping." Taana noted with amusement.

Viola felt a sense of agreement to the statement in her head and a vague sense of satisfaction.

"It looks like Ellen has lost patience with them," Viola said with an almost disappointed frown. "I think she's been itching to get rid of the Collective for some time and now that they've proved their worthlessness she justify doing that."

"Yeah right, and get rid of something _you_ suggested? She wouldn't dream of it." Taana snorted, before offering her a teasing, knowing smirk. "Don't you think it's more likely it's all because a certain someone seemed so mesmerized by the Queen's breasts?"

Another burst of agreement bloomed in Viola's mind and she blushed terribly.

_Ellen is getting rid of them because she's jealous? That's… oddly sweet._

Dad didn't seem to agree however if the furious look he was shooting both her and Taana was anything to go by.

At least Frank was amused by it, if his chuckles were anything to go by.

Marcus and Hans looked unamused, but then again she didn't expect anything less. She knew for a fact that neither of them had a remotely positive opinion of Viola's relationship with Ellen. She was just grateful that they kept their opinions to themselves, with or without the help of the House's influence.

"Let's leave the House to its spring cleaning and get going." Marcus said after a moment of watching the Collective being massacred. "We have a Outsider to kill."

_We'll see about that._ Viola thought to herself with a frown even as she followed the black man as he led the team onwards.

* * *

**And done!**

**Hope you guys liked it.**

**This chapter was fun as it allowed me to unleash a little of my inner Whovian and include expys of some of my favourite Who villains.**

**AllForFire: Which, again, went right over my head the first time.^^'X)**

**That and showcasing the fact that Viola is very much a teenager! One who very, very much wants to get down and dirty with her loved one.**

**AllForFire: Bow-Chicka-Bow-Wow.**

**Not that Ellen noticed that. All she fixated on was that Viola was staring at the Queen's breasts, not that they were sending the poor blonde into rapturous fantasies about her violet haired not-girlfriend's boobs. The end result? Well, the poor Collective got the short end of the stick. Just goes to show, don't mess with a lovestruck yandere. XD**

**AllForFire: Ellen's like Yuno, only way more powerful yet paradoxically not AS nuts. XD**

**Well, that's all for this chapter. Till next time, peace!**


	15. Jealousy

**Disclaimer: I don't own Witch's House or any of the IPs from which my imported characters originate.**

**Why Cute Witches Should Deal With Outsiders (And Their Lairs)**

**Chapter 14: Jealousy**

**Beta: AllForFire**

* * *

It was a beautiful autumn day in the Beauclerk Estate, with the deciduous trees across the grounds shedding their leaves and transforming the already beautiful gardens into something straight out of a fairy tale with their riot of reds and browns. That combined with the cool but still relatively mild temperature made it the perfect day to be out and about in the outdoors.

Unfortunately for seven year old Ellen, she still had lessons. Thus, despite the wonderful weather, she was stuck sitting in her schoolroom dutifully going over her sums as her tutor and more importantly her stepmother watched.

The latter especially made her nervous. She usually was whenever she she around, but especially so when she was there at lesson time.

"I'm done, Mister Springfield." Ellen said politely as she finished her work and handed it to her tutor to check.

The man offered her a kind smile as he took possession of the sheaf of papers and began marking her work. Slowly but surely, an impressed look grew on his face.

It took him only a few minutes, a testament to his skills, to finish and return it to the girl.

"You're a very smart little girl to be so young and yet so advanced in your studies." The kindly older gentleman praised.

Ellen blushed and ducked her head down at the complement, using the gesture to sneak a look at her stepmother.

The woman's face was set in a polite mask but her eyes were ablaze with anger.

Ellen swallowed hard. She knew what that meant. She would be getting a new tutor soon enough.

* * *

That night in the library, before their magic lesson, Ellen couldn't help but ask Black Cat the question that had been nagging her for ages.

"Why does Stepmother always get so upset when people say I'm smart?"

Ellen was honestly only just whining, and had expected her friend to just humor her. She was thus surprised when the magical feline instead gave her an actual answer.

"It's because she's jealous of you."

The young heiress blinked in confusion at this, partly because of the shock that the Cat was taking her seriously, but mostly because his answer didn't make sense to her.

"I don't get it. What does Stepmother have to be jealous about?"

"Because, sweet Ellen, due to a curse, you will be your Father's only heir. Ever." Black Cat explained sagely. "That alone is enough to make your stepmother jealous because it means she'd never have any children to inherit your Father's wealth."

Ellen hadn't known about her Father being under any curses, but she didn't doubt it. If Cat said it was true then she trusted him to be correct. He usually was.

"But if she just wanted children, couldn't she just get around it by having children with someone else?"

_It's not like Father would truly mind._ Ellen thought uncharitably.

"She can't have a child with another man anyways, the curse won't allow it. Besides, it's not about having children. In fact, your stepmother doesn't really want children at all." Black Cat told her with a chuckle. "What she does want is to be secure in her lifestyle and the best way to do that is to be the mother to her husband's heir."

"I don't get it."

"You don't need to. Just understand that your stepmother hates you for being the Beauclerk heiress."

Ellen nodded.

"That explains why she hates me in general, but why does she always get so upset whenever I do well at things?"

"Simple, dear heart," Black Cat said with a proud smile. "It's because she _knows_ that even if she could have children, they would never be as good as Ellen."

"That's stupid," Ellen countered. "How could she know that?"

"It's instinct," Black Cat said, still sporting a proud feline grin. "The human knows that no human will ever be as good as Ellen."

"You're not making sense again, Cat." Ellen said with a shake of her head. "Are you saying no one can be as good as me?"

"It seems you're still not ready," Black Cat said with a sigh of disappointment.

"More nonsense?" Ellen asked with a huff or irritation. "Are you going to make any sense tonight?"

"Apologies, Ellen. I was just being whimsical. Forgive me?"

"Only if we start our magic lesson now."

"Of course, love, of course."

* * *

**Done!**

**So here we see just how badly Duke Beauclerk has screwed up, eh? Not only has he gotten himself an Outsider for a daughter, he's also cursed himself so that she's going to be his only ever heir. Poor dude has essentially cursed his whole family line. I almost pity the guy. Almost.**

**AllFor Fire: Occultists, when they aren't the protagonist or an ally, do tend to be on the more suicidally/cosmically stupid side of the spectrum. Seriously, do the tales of Faustian Bargains going wrong** _ **every single time**_ **teach these morons nothing?**

**Anyways, that's it for now. Till next chapter.**


	16. The Mistress' Childhood Room

**Disclaimer: I don't own Witch's House or any of the IPs from which my imported characters originate.**

**Why Cute Witches Should Deal With Outsiders (And Their Lairs)**

**Chapter 15: The Mistress' Childhood Room**

**Beta: AllForFire**

* * *

Escaping the Schoolroom, the team trooped out into an empty hallway that had Frank breathing a sigh of relief. It looked like the House had decided to give them a break. Not that this stopped him from slamming the door leading back into the previous room, and the still ongoing massacre within, hard.

_We're damned lucky Ellen didn't decide to include us in her house cleaning._ Frank thought to himself with gratitude. _Though with the way things are going…_

"-it's shaping up to be nothing more than some kinda sick Outsider courtship ritual." The minigunner grunted, unable to keep his thoughts to himself.

"It's more of a mating ritual actually." The strange Taana lady said with a teasing smile.

Viola, the undeniable target of said ritual, squeaked in shock and embarrassment. Her dad though, roared in indignation.

"Hey, hey, I was just joking." Frank backtracked quickly. The last thing they needed was for one or more of their party members losing their cool.

_What made me say that out loud like that? I'm not usually that loose lipped._ Frank mused even as he tried to wave his hands placatingly at the Smiths. _It's gotta be this House. It's messing with us more than we realized!_

"Well, I wasn't." Their newest companion said cheekily.

_Doesn't she know when not to add oil to the fire!?_ Frank screamed in frustration, as the situation he'd been trying to defuse blew up right in front of him.

Clearly set off by Taana's words, Paul had grabbed his daughter's arms and, in fit of madness, was trying to drag her off while shouting about leaving the House immediately. Viola was trying hard to pull away, and the whole group was too stunned by Paul's sudden violence to do anything.

Well, everyone but Marcus who quickly grabbed hold of the man and pulled him off Viola. Though not before he'd left some pretty bruises on his daughter's arms. The man had quite the grip apparently.

_Ellen is totally going to love that._ Frank noted sarcastically as he eyed their surroundings nervously, waiting for the Outsider's retaliation. He wasn't the only one, Hans and Taana were both doing the same. Even Marcus was trying, though he was too busy restraining a struggling Paul to do a good job of it.

Nothing seemed to be coming. Yet.

Frank wasn't stupid enough to not think that Ellen was going to forgive Paul for manhandling her girl. Not even if he was her father-in-law.

_Really glad I'm not him at the moment._

"Viola, you okay?" Hans asked, worriedly.

The spatial mage nodded as she rubbed her already visibly smaller bruises gingerly. Frank blinked in surprise at that. Did she have some kind of high speed regeneration or something? If so, since when?

Frank was about to ask her about it when his mind blanked for a moment.

_Huh? What was I thinking about again?_ The heavy thought to himself as the fog that descended on his mind lifted. _Shit! I let myself drift off._

Cursing himself for letting his mind wander in as dangerous a place as the Witch's House, Frank tuned back into his surroundings. He must have missed something, because last he remembered Hans was all concerned about Viola, but now he was ripping into her.

"No offense, Viola, but what's so special about you that's managed to catch the eye of an Outsider?"

_He's usually not so blunt._ _Is the House messing with his mind causing this?_ Frank mused worriedly.

Meanwhile, oblivious to the alarming directions of his thoughts, the blonde shuffled nervously before shrugging, "I honestly don't know."

Paul growled something intelligible under his breath and everyone turned to him. Well, everyone but Taana, who Frank caught out of the corner of his eye giving the father a knowing look.

"Mind repeating that, Paul?" Marcus demanded.

Smith just shook his head though and stubbornly remained silent.

The team leader would probably have interrogated the man then and there, but that idea went out the window when Taana shouted out a warning.

"Folks! We have company!"

The team spun around to see a host of clockwork automatons being led by, of all things, a maid. Hard to miss that fact when she was dressed in a standard 19th century maid's uniform that consisted of a black dress, white apron and one of those frilly headdresses.

She looked like a human, but Frank was betting her true form was some kinda monstrous thing. Which was a shame because she was pretty too, with shoulder length blonde hair styled in a bob cut and luminous blue eyes. If she weren't a monster, she'd totally be his type.

To the minigunner's surprise, it was Viola who reacted first. With a whispered word, she began to turn the whole hallway into some kinda modern art painting with her now familiar spatial warping. Unfortunately, the maid was prepared for it. With a snap of her fingers, Viola's spell fell apart with the sound of shattering glass and everything returned to normal.

"Monica! That's not fair!" The blonde powerhouse shouted indignantly.

The Maid, whose name was Monica apparently, just shot them all a teasing smile.

With their best defense out of the picture, Marcus did the smart thing.

"Run!" The black man said as he fired a burst from his rifle at the monsters, before turning to run in the opposite direction. The team already heeding his orders and fleeing down the hallway.

"You do know the Maids are support wizards, right?" Taana told Viola as she casually jogged besides the sprinting blonde. "Dispelling magic is kinda their forte. So it was totally fair for her to do that."

Frank had stopped to fire a burst of covering fire at the monsters, who were casually strolling after them, and had the misfortune to see the Maid's accompanying nod to Taana's explanation. Not that he needed it. The creature's class was pretty damned obvious from the way it kept snapping its fingers to conjure barriers to soak up their damage.

"Frank, don't bother with the cover fire. Just run." Marcus ordered. "With the Maid and the sheer number of those clockwork things-"

"Servants," Viola cut in breathlessly. "They're called Servants."

"Whatever!" Marcus roared irritably. "We can't fight them. Not here. Just run!"

Frank couldn't help but agree. While they weren't as many of them as the swarms they'd faced so far, being stuck in a hallway greatly limited their options. Plus the support from the Maid made these Servants a lot more dangerous than any of the monstrous hordes the House had thrown at them so far.

As if to prove that point, Frank heard an ominous snap of fingers behind him. Glancing back, her cursed as he saw six of the Servants speed ahead of their group in a sprint.

"The Maid knows Haste!" Frank shouted even as he tried and failed to tag one of the Servants as it sped towards the team.

Another took advantage of his distraction to spring at him. He tried moving his gun to retarget it but was too slow and was about to cut to pieces by the pair of blades that shot out of its wrists, when suddenly Viola was there parrying its thrusts with a spatial blade.

Frank was no swordsman by any stretch of the word, but he'd seen a number of them fight before and could recognise skill where he saw it. Viola couldn't be called skilled, but considering he was pretty sure she started this mission knowing jack squat about sword fighting at all, she was pulling off some pretty impressive moves.

"Watch out!" The spatial mage warned as she gutted the Servant she was fighting and spun to engage another. "Servants are full of hidden weapons."

"Viola! Watch out!" Paul shouted in warning even as he sent a pair of his hellhounds to tackle a Servant that was lunging at his preoccupied daughter's back.

"Thanks dad!" Viola shouted back as she cut off the right arm of the Servant she was facing, forcing it to back off.

That didn't save it though as it was promptly taken out by one of Hans' magic bullets before it streaked over to take out another.

Not to be left out, Taana joined in by conjuring two orbs of pulsing electricity that she threw at two of the remaining enhanced servants, reducing them to scorched hunks of junk that quickly melted away into mush.

Repulsing the attack wasn't the end of it though, as with another snap of fingers, suddenly everything slowed to a crawl and Frank felt like he was moving through molasses. Even breathing was difficult, much less running.

"Sl-" Hans was saying in slow motion, even as Viola snapped her own fingers.

"-ow." The sniper finished lamely, even as everyone returned to running. "Viola, since when did you know the Dispel spell?"

"I just picked it up from Monica." The blonde said easily.

Wasn't she out of breath from the run just a minute ago? How was she fine now?

"Viola you're just bullshit, you know that?" Frank shouted at the girl.

The girl just shot him a cheeky smile.

"Thanks for the compliment, Frank!"

"Viola," Marcus asked from where he was pacing an out of breath Paul. "Are there any rooms we can escape into nearby?"

The blonde seemed to consider the question.

_It's like she's communing with the House or maybe just her girlfriend. Or is it fiancée now?_ Frank corrected himself as he recalled what Taana said about what this whole invasion was really about.

He was pulled from his unproductive thoughts by Viola seemingly finally getting an answer.

"There's a room just up ahead."

"Guys!" Hans shouted worriedly.

Glancing back at the monsters pursuing them at a leisurely pace, Frank was unnerved to find the Servants forming up into the ranks for a Napoleonic era firing line complete with old school rifles leveled at them.

"Shit!" Frank cursed, as he turned to open up on them in the meager hope that he could somehow disrupt them. Unfortunately, just like he expected, the Maid just snapped her fingers and conjured a shield to protect her and her minions.

"There! Just ahead!" Viola called out.

The heavy turned back around just in time to see her pointing at a door a couple feet down the hallway.

This it seemed was also the cue for the Servants to open fire and with a series of bangs, a hail of bullets flew towards the team.

Their spatial mage was on the ball though. With a snap of her fingers, Viola conjured up a suspiciously familiar barrier to tank the shots.

The shield, identical to the ones the Maid was conjuring, didn't last long though, as with a snap of the aforementioned monster's fingers it shattered. Viola was undeterred and with another snap of her own fingers, she conjured a replacement to take another volley of the Servants' fire. This kept repeating itself over and over again.

_This would be ridiculous if it wasn't a matter of life and death!_ Frank thought to himself just as Marcus reached the door that promised to be their salvation and swung it open, ushering everyone inside.

Picking up speed, Frank grabbed Viola who had gotten so engrossed in her finger snapping match with the Maid that she'd came to a stop and rushed into the room.

The moment he was in, Hans slammed the door closed.

* * *

They found themselves in a little girl's room straight out of the Victorian era. A very rich little girl, if the size of the room, the high quality antique furniture everywhere, and the rows upon rows of china dolls were any clue.

"That's a lot of dolls." Frank noted idly as he surveyed the room while catching his breath.

He wasn't exaggerating. There must have been hundreds if not thousands of dolls in the room. They were everywhere. Every shelf, every table, every chair, basically every piece of furniture had at least one doll sitting on it.

"Ellen really likes dolls," Viola said in a long suffering tone.

"You'd know, wouldn't you, Miss Viola?" Taana said with a laugh. "The Mistress of the House loves telling stories about and showing off her doll collection to you."

"The Outsider is telling stories about my daughter?" Paul asked, incensed.

"Oh, stop being a dick about it Paul!" Frank shouted at the man, his annoyance with the father's defensiveness about Viola's relationship with Ellen at its limits. "You should be flattered that this Ellen woman has the hots for Viola."

"Just look at yer girl," the heavy said gesturing at the madly blushing girl in question. "Viola certainly is."

"Frank," Hans jumped in, running a hand tiredly down his face. "You do remember that this Ellen is trying to kill us so she can score with Viola, right?"

Frank shrugged.

"I know. But if Hazel was any indication, so long as we don't piss Ellen off too much during this whole mating ritual thing, we won't end up too badly."

The minigunner honestly surprised himself even as the words came out of his mouth, because he meant them. He was always able to make the best out of a bad situation, but this was extreme even for him. Seeing the bright side outta becoming an abominable servant to an Outsider? That really took the cake.

_Is this more of the House's messing with my head?_ Frank thought idly. Thought even it it was… Well, in this case at least, it might actually be a good thing. He couldn't imagine going on if he was completely horrified by what was, objectively, a terrible and seemingly inevitable fate.

Such were the thoughts that ran through his head, all while in a forgotten corner of his mind, he cried out in grief at what had happened to Hazel, and what awaited himself and the rest of the team. This however was ruthlessly suppressed by a combination of the House's influence and his own conscious will.

His positive attitude wasn't appreciated by everyone however, particularly not Marcus.

"Shut up, Frank!" The team leader snarled. "I for one won't be ending up as a monster. No matter what."

Frank just shrugged.

The minigunner had his way of handling things and the boss had his. If that determination of his let the black man hold it together then go for it. Frank wasn't going to challenge him on it.

"You know," Taana told him in a soft voice as she walked over to him. "Standing up for Lady Ellen and Miss Viola like that probably earned you quite a few, what do you call it? Ah! It probably earned you quite a few brownie points."

"I'm not stupid." He replied with a resigned smile. "I know I'm gonna end up dying on this mission. I'm just buttering up to the new boss ahead of time is all."

"Smart man. Though my, how very mercenary for a soldier." Taana lilts at him with a small grin.

"Eh." Frank shrugs. "I'm mostly just a guy who loves shooting and blowing stuff up. How and who I do it for, meh, that's flexible."

Their little conversation was called to a halt when Marcus finally regathered his bearings.

It might have been Frank's imagination, but was the boss getting more and more frazzled as things went on? The heavy really hoped he was wrong because as much as he was sure he was going to die here, he still held out a slender hope of getting out of here alive, and that rested largely on Marcus' skill as a leader. If he was coming apart, then Frank could kiss that hope goodbye.

"Viola," Marcus said as he turned to the girl. "What can we expect in this room?"

"Huh?" Viola replied, looking up from where she'd been distracted by smiling nostalgically at a pair of dolls, one of which looked suspiciously like she did, set up in a diorama that made them appear to be having a tea party. "Oh threats? Um…"

The blonde tilted her head adorably for a moment as she considered the matter and for a moment, Frank could totally understand why the Outsider was willing to kill to marry her.

"The dolls, I guess?" Viola said after a moment. "Some of them are actually Dolls." Frank snorted as he heard the capitalization in the unimaginative name. "So be careful of them coming to life."

Marcus, as expected, didn't see the humour in the situation and was eyeing the dolls all around them cautiously.

"What would happen if we just destroyed all the dolls?" The black man asked hopefully.

_Haven't learned your lesson yet, fearless leader?_ The Asian groaned as he recalled the Hedge Maze debacle.

"That would be a very bad idea." A wooden voice said from behind the four poster bed at the centre of the room.

Stepping out from behind the curtained bed was a animated wooden puppet with an elongated nose and a large wooden cross on its back from which several ropes hung off. It was dressed in blue suspenders and a red hat. In its wooden hands, it held an intimidatingly large hammer.

"Hello Lord Puppetmaster." Taana greeted with a short bow.

"Hello Servant of Ainz." The living puppet returned.

Most of the team was unnerved by the exchange. So far the only people that Taana had addressed as Lord or Lady were Outsiders! Did this mean this monster was one too?

Viola shared none of their unease though, instead sketching a bow to the monster.

"Hello Mister Puppetmaster," she greeted the being politely. "Are you helping Ellen out like Midori-sama was?"

Frank sucked in a breath as the realization hit him.

_Shit! This thing_ is _an Outsider!_

The god-like abomination just chuckled at Viola's question for a moment before replying.

"I'm hardly being so generous." It said with a smile. "I'm just paying my rent by helping to defend the House. Though it is the first time I've had to do so since I moved in. Ellen must really think all of you are special if she's let you into her old room."

He eyed Viola in particular and his smile widened. "Or at least one of you is."

"Shut up!" An infuriated Paul said, summoning an Ifrit. "My daughter is not going to end up as some Outsider's plaything! I won't allow it!"

The Puppetmaster just looked at the man with what seemed like genuine pity. "Are you so blinded by your past, be-"

Not letting the Outsider finish its question, Smith ordered his demon to attack. However, before the demonic fire elemental could gather its flames, the Puppetmaster tossed the cross on its back at the summon and bisected the fiery devil.

The cross flew back into its hands like a boomerang, and with that oddly genial smile still on its face, the wooden menace made an ominous declaration.

"The fight starts now!"

Likely having waited for their cue the whole time the team had been trespassing into their domain, dozens of the dolls all around the room come to life with knives materializing in their hands, leaping at the intruders.

As with the previous fights, Frank noted that Hans quickly fell into the role of crowd control as he fired a magic bullet from his musket that cut through the ranks of murderous Dolls, thinning their numbers considerably. This time though, he had help in the form of that strange Taana woman sending a Chain Lightning spell arcing through the mob and taking out dozens of the adorable little monsters.

The Asian man didn't have the luxury of seeing how they were doing beyond that though as he focused in on the fight with the Outsider.

"Paul! Back up Hans with the Dolls!" Marcus ordered the summoner, but Smith was in no mood to listen.

Instead, he had summoned up a pack of hellhounds and had sent them at the Outsider, who easily reduced them to bloody paste with a single swing of its hammer. The enraged father didn't let up though and kept sending his summons at the eldritch god, where they were promptly killed.

Not that Marcus and Frank were doing any better. They were shooting everything they had at the animated puppet but it only served to chip his finish. Even their trump card, Viola, wasn't making any leeway. She had tried to use her spatial cutting to attack the Outsider and while that did do more meaningful damage, it just regenerated any injury in a matter of seconds.

"The Dolls just keep coming!" Hans shouted out in frustration. "Every one we destroy seems to get back up almost as fast as we put it down."

"Less talking, Mister Marksman." Taana chided. "More shooting."

In contrast to the woman's annoyance, the Puppetmaster chuckled at Hans' observation.

"That's to be expected." It commented while distractedly killing another of Paul's summons. "Ellen really loves her dolls. As such, she is always quick to repair them if they get damaged."

"Yeah," Viola said hesitantly. "It's a little scary how much Ellen likes her dolls."

"I must admit, it's a little overwhelming for someone whose domain has nothing to do with dolls." The Puppetmaster offered his agreement, all while continuing to soak up damage and occasionally killing any summons Paul threw at him.

_The damned thing isn't even attacking. Not that it needs to. At this rate, the Dolls will just overwhelm us eventually._

"How are you regenerating like this?" Viola asked in a voice so full of curiosity that Frank was uncomfortably reminded of Hazel for a moment.

_What was it with mages and being curious about strange magic at the worse times?_

The Outsider didn't seem to share Frank's displeasure though, if anything he seemed pleased by Viola's question.

"I'm glad you asked, little one," the abomination replied with a smile. "I'm actually reversing time whenever I'm injured, reverting my body to a state before I suffered the injury."

"That simple?" Viola muttered while blinking in surprise.

_Simple? Chronomancy was simple to her? Since when?_

Since now apparently, as Viola simply adopted a look of concentration and a moment later the Puppetmaster began to stagger from their fire.

Reacting quickly, it leapt to the ceiling to escape their attacks.

"Well done, little one," the Outsider complimented Viola from where it clung. "Locking down my local time is quite a feat."

Marcus and Frank quickly readjusted their aim and opened fire at it, but the eldritch creature just leapt out of the way of their shots like some kinda twisted spider monkey.

"Thank you," Viola returned the compliment with a proud smile.

Smiling back at her, the Puppetmaster, still jumping all over the place, continued, "It does mean however that it is time for me to take the offensive."

At that, it leapt down from the ceiling and swung its massive hammer at Frank.

For a moment, the Asian thought he was done for. But he was saved by the familiar sound of shattering glass, Viola's magic being broken as he was shifted just out of range of the strike. The sudden translocation and the overpressure of the blow was enough to knock him off his feet though and left him completely open for a deadly follow up.

Thankfully, the Outsider was distracted from finishing him by a pair of Paul's hellhounds.

By the time it had dealt with the pests, Frank had already found himself teleported out of the way.

"Your skills are admirable, little one. As is their rate of growth." The Puppetmaster once more complimented Viola even as it ignored how it had been deprived of its immediate target and instead threw its boomerang-cross-thing at Marcus while raising its hammer and lunging towards Frank once more.

Back on his feet, Frank didn't hesitate to go full auto on the rapidly closing Outsider. Not that he thought it would do him any good.

" **Maximise Magic: Dragon Lightning!** " Taana's voice roared over the din of battle as she sent a dragon-shaped bolt of electricity into the abominable god and sent it flying into a corner of the room.

He turned to give the girl a thankful nod but she was already back to helping Hans with her Chain Lightnings.

Turning to check on Marcus, he found, to his amusement, that their fearless leader was being shielded by Viola, of all people, as the slip of a girl had caught the cross-thing in an orb of sealed space.

The Puppetmaster's chuckles had Frank spinning back in its direction to spot it jumping to its feet in an acrobatic somersault.

"This fight is proving more enjoyable than I anticipated." The creature said, sounding thoughtful. "In honour of that, I think I will reward you all by yielding if you can disarm me."

_It's gonna go easy on us? Thank Ellen!_ Frank thought, full of genuine gratitude, even as he swung his minigun and used its bulk to smash a Doll that had got past Hans and Taana. _If she hadn't been getting all her bosses to do that, we would already be dead._

Paul didn't seem to share his sentiment and instead was intent on continuing to try his luck at aggravating the honestly quite chill Outsider.

"Don't look down on us you aberration!" The summoner roared as he sent another pair of hellhounds to their deaths.

This however created an opening that, to Frank's shock, Viola exploited. Teleporting into close quarters and clutching a spatial blade in each hand, she attacked the Outsider.

Again, Frank wasn't much of a swords person, he liked doing his fighting from range and with a big gun, but even he could see that, even though Viola was strangely skilled, she was still hopelessly outclassed. She was attacking relentlessly, but her opponent was leisurely parrying her blows and refusing to exploit the many openings in her defense.

"Viola! Get back!" Her father shouted at her, radiating concern.

She ignored him. Her face set in determination, she pressed her attack.

It was clear though that the Outsider was really going out of his way to not hurt her. It had almost brained her at least three times but had stopped itself at the last second.

Despite that, their little duel nevertheless looked like a dance. And a damn beautiful one too.

So beautiful in fact, it left Frank so captivated that he just stood there like a fool.

Thankfully, not everyone in the team was being a dumbass.

"Hans! Now!"

At Marcus' order, Hans fired one of his magic bullets that curved through the air and came at the Puppetmaster from its blindspot. The way it turned its head briefly in its direction indicated that it had somehow seen it nonetheless, but it was too busy fending off Viola to defend itself against it. As a result, the wooden man was helpless as the bullet reduced its hands into splinters, thus causing it to drop its weapon.

Disarmed, the Puppetmaster leapt back from Viola and landed with a gracious bow.

Frank couldn't resist the annoyed growl he made as he noticed that as it rose from its bow, the Outsider had fully repaired its injuries, and had both its weapons strapped to its back.

"Dolls, stand down." The Puppetmaster said in a soft but commanding voice.

Immediately, the horde of Dolls froze mid motion and about-faced to return to their displays. At this, Marcus stood down as well, lowering the muzzle of his gun and pointing it away from the god. Frank wisely followed suit. Neither of them, he supposed, wanted to jinx this. Even Paul seemed to have reined in his anger enough to not attack and restart the fight.

"I'm a man of my word." The Outsider said with a smile. "As you have indeed managed to disarm me, I'll yield as I said I would and let you pass. Though before you go, I must once more compliment the little one. You have impressed me with how quickly you've learnt to translate your spatial awareness into a close-combat fighting style."

"Thank you, Mister Puppetmaster." Viola said with a grateful nod at the praise. "It just came to me."

"You don't say? Hmm..." The Outsider said with a thoughtful hum. "Perhaps it is a gift from your future self?"

"What are you insinuating?" Paul hissed aggressively.

The Puppetmaster just looked at the man sadly, before replying. "You need to let the past go, mortal, or be doomed by it. Or worse, your daughter will."

The summoner looked ready to attack the Outsider again, but before he could do anything Frank grabbed him in a chokehold.

"Cool it." The heavy told the angry father warningly.

"I'm my own person, dad!" Viola shouted indignantly. "Let me make my own choices."

"I'll do my best to make sure she gets the room to do so." Taana chimed in.

Paul shot her a hateful look for this. Hans and Marcus in turn shot her suspicious ones as she reconfirmed that her motives for tagging along were more than meets the eye. Frank just snorted at all their idiocy. Right now, all that mattered was getting Viola to her sweetheart.

The Puppetmaster ignored the team and nodded at Taana, apparently satisfied.

Snapping its fingers, it conjured a door out of nowhere.

"The next room awaits," it said with a cheeky smile.

Marcus looked to Viola for confirmation.

_Of what? That it wasn't a trap? That they wouldn't be walking into another life or death situation? Did he forget where they were?_

Since when had the boss become such an idiot?

Whatever he was looking for, he got it when the spatial mage nodded back at him.

Taking a deep breath and shooting the still present Puppetmaster a wary look, a grim faced Marcus led the team through the door.

* * *

**Another chapter done! Hooray!**

**This was actually quite a bit of fun to write. Mainly because the finger snapping fight between Viola and Monica the Maid amused me to no end.**

**AllForFire: Agreed, that honestly had me snickering the first time I read it. X)**

**The incredibly nice boss Outsider was amusing as hell too. Having someone be genuinely nice to you as he's trying to kill you? That just brought a smile to my face.**

**AllForFire: But of course, I mean just because you have to try and kill someone doesn't mean you can't still be courteous. That's just bad form not to.**

**Well, let me know if you agreed with my admittedly warped opinions.**

**Till next time, peace out!**


	17. Dolls, dolls and more dolls!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Witch's House or any of the IPs from which my imported characters originate.**

**Why Cute Witches Should Deal With Outsiders (And Their Lairs)**

**Chapter 16: Dolls, dolls and more dolls!**

**Beta: AllForFire**

* * *

A wide-eyed fifteen year old Viola could only stare at her dream friend Ellen's insanely huge collection of dolls with shocked awe.

The first stop of the tour of the collection had been Ellen's old childhood rooms and there had been enough of the things there alone to fill a warehouse.

The blonde had thought that was the extent of it, but she had been wrong. Oh so wrong!

For now, she was at the second stop of the tour. One of the many storage rooms in Ellen's mansion, where there were even more dolls!

There were more dolls in here than people Viola had met in her entire life.

"How many of them are there?" Viola asked breathlessly.

"About one million." Ellen said proudly.

Viola just looked at her friend like she was crazy.

"Why do you have so many?"

"I like dolls." Ellen replied easily.

There was a difference between liking something and being obsessed with it, and Viola was worried Ellen had crossed that line here. She wasn't about to say it though, it would just upset her purple-haired friend and she hated upsetting the other girl. So instead she just nodded dumbly.

"Want me to show you around?" Ellen said, oblivious to her friend's unease.

Reluctantly Viola nodded, only to be dragged off into the land of the dolls.

* * *

**A short, hopefully humorous look into just how insanely obsessed Ellen is with collecting dolls. Hope you guys liked it.**

**AllForFire: I mean, a million dolls...do people even see a million people, personally, with their own eyes, by the time their fifteen? Geebus.^^'XD ;)**

**Till next time, peace out.**


	18. The Cellar

**Disclaimer: I don't own Witch's House or any of the IPs from which my imported characters originate.**

**Why Cute Witches Should Deal With Outsiders (And Their Lairs)**

**Chapter 17: The Cellar**

**Beta: AllForFire**

* * *

Exiting from the doorway that Lord Puppetmaster had created, Taana found herself in a dank and somewhat dark basement. Barely noticing as the door disappeared behind Hans as he stepped through, the Shadar-kai looked the underground room the team had found itself in with nostalgia.

It reminded her of the Underdark, and the many ruins she'd quested in with her family.

"A cellar? He sent us to the bloody cellar?" Frank complained with a frustrated groan, while the rest of the team got their bearings.

"Looks like it," Viola nodded as she took in their surroundings.

"Why did he have to dump us here?" The Kara-Turan man continued bellyaching. "He's just wiped out almost all our progress."

"I know you're just kidding round, Frank, but tone it down before you actually upset the Outsider." Hans warned.

"Yeah, yeah, I know." The heavy set man conceded. "But this is a cellar, man! You know I hate cellars! They are full of bugs and stuff."

Taana could detect the man's genuine unease and that surprised her. She had not expected someone like Frank to be so easily ruffled.

Her look must have caught his attention, because he turned to face her.

"I don't know if you have them where you come from, Taana, but I've watched enough horror movies to know that someone always dies in the basement."

The Lightning Savant just nodded, not fully comprehending his point. She hadn't had the luxury to watch many movies in her life as even with all the advancements that Lord Ainz had brought to Realmspace, the opportunity to watch movies were still vanishingly rare. And none of those chances were, as far as she was aware, a horror movie.

"Enough with the theatrics, Frank." Marcus barked at his subordinate. "We have no time for you to waste pretending to be an idi-"

The black man didn't have the chance to finish his sentence when suddenly a Vermin, that hadn't been there a second ago, fell from the ceiling and landed right on top of Frank.

Taana acted immediately, thanking her foresight to maintain a **Haste** spell on herself since joining this party. In a blindingly fast motion, she drew her sword, Stormslash, in a smooth motion that spoke of her many, many hours of practice and swept the monster off her temporary party member's body and bisecting it horizontally in the process.

But not before it sank its fang deeply into Frank's body.

_How!? I should be faster than this._ The Shadar Kai cursed. _Wait. I_ am _fast enough to have prevented this. Which means… Lady Ellen, did you want him to die so badly?_

In contrast to her swift action, the rest of the party had panicked and were only just now scrambling to raise their weapons or prime their magics. Much to her disappointment this included Miss Viola.

_I guess she still has a ways to go._ Taana mused as she stepped back from Frank as he collapsed to his knees.

Fortunately, it seemed that the sudden attack had shaken the party out of their complacency, and with far greater swiftness than they had exhibited when responding earlier, they switched gears to tending to their friend.

_Not that it'll help him._ The devotee to the Overlord of Death thought as she eyed the two deep wounds the Vermin had inflicted on Frank, even as Viola rushed to his side and began digging through her pack for some bandages.

"I'm so sorry! I should have distorted space more quickly." The spatial mage hastily said as she extracted a bolt of cloth and moved to treat Frank's wounds.

_An oversight she's fixed._ Taana noted with an approving nod as she took in the distorted space that now surrounded them like a protective cocoon.

Despite Viola's earnest apology though, Frank's only response was a series of increasingly guttural moans of pain as he began to writhe in agony.

"He's been poisoned. Here let me," Hans said as he stepped forward with a tubular device in his hand. "This should help."

_It must be some kind of antidote potion._ Taana observed, amused once more by how things might take different forms in various universes, but ultimately still serve the same function. _Or as Drau would say, 'the more things change, the more things stay the same.'_

While the lightning mage was daydreaming however, Marcus had pulled Viola back from their downed friend to allow Hans to take over treatment. The sniper leaned down over his injured comrade and raised the device as if to stab down with it.

Unfortunately, it seemed he was too late. In heat of the moment and in the dark of the cellar, the others missed it. But the low-light vision of her kind allowed Taana to spot how Frank's skin suddenly bleached itself, becoming the same sickly off-white shade of the House's undead.

Once more relying on the speed afforded to her by her still active **Haste** spell and the added strength of a hastily cast **Bull's Strength** , the slender Shadar-kai shoved the larger Hans to the side.

The team were startled by her actions, but she had no time to explain and quickly moved to stab Stormslash into the new Zombie that Frank had become. However, before she could finish the deed, Marcus slammed into her shoulder first.

"What the hell are you doing?" The black man roared.

Again Taana had no time for words, not when the newly-risen Zombie's hands were inches from grabbing hold of Marcus.

" **Lightning Leap**." Taana subvocalized, casting one of her signature spells and causing her to transform into a line of lightning in a flash of light. A bolt of electricity that shot pass the enraged team leader to remateralize into the Shadar-kai right in front of the monster that had once been Frank, and with her sword stabbing through its unmoving heart.

" **Lightning Blade**." The lightning savant whispered under her breath, using the spell to channel a bolt of lightning directly down her blade and into the Zombie's body, reducing it into ash.

Looking at the dispersing cloud of Frank's remains, Taana offered it an apologetic smile.

"I'm sorry it had to end this way for you. You were nice and sometimes even funny. I quite liked you. "

"You have a odd way of showing that." Paul said from her right, a fireball burning merrily in front of his palm and ready to be thrown at her any moment.

Taana just shot him a glare. His hatred for anything and everything associated with the Overgods was getting grating. It might not have been wholly unwarranted but being the target of ire was trying her patience.

She was about to confront him about it when a furious Marcus grabbed her by the shoulder and turned her around to face him. With the effect of **Bull's Strength** still active, she could have easily resisted his manhandling but in light of his clear grief, she elected not to.

"What have you done!?" The man demanded, so angry that he was practically foaming at the mouth.

Despite this, Taana calmly replied. "I just saved our lives."

"Bullshit!"

"Marcus! She's right." Hans said as he pushed himself back to his feet from where he had fallen.

Marcus turned to the sniper, looking betrayed.

"He had become a Zombie, Marcus." The white haired man said slowly, as if he was trying to calm down a feral beast or a child throwing a temper tantrum.

Considering the way Marcus was snarling at the sniper for just stating the obvious, Taana was leaning towards the latter analogy being more fitting.

Unfazed by his leader's childishness however Hans bravely continued, "He was about to attack us. Taana taking him out, saved us."

"That's-"

"Marcus!" Hans shouted. "I saw him reaching out to attack you with my own eyes!"

The well muscled man took a step back at his friend's declaration, seemingly just as shocked as everyone else at the usually mild-mannered man raising his voice. Heck, it was even enough to startle Paul enough for him to lose control of his fireball and cause it to sputter out.

Hans' vehemence seemed to knock Marcus out of his denial, as he closed his eyes and muttered something heatedly under his breath that the Shadar-kai guessed was some kind of curse.

Turning to Viola who had been spending the whole confrontation standing over the pile of ash that was all that remained of Frank looking shocked, Marcus shot her a venomous glare.

"I hope you're satisfied." He spat vindictively. "Your girlfriend just killed another one of my friends and for what? So she can woo you as part of some sick Outsider ritual?"

_Pretty much._ Taana agreed with a shrug, even as Viola flinched at the accurate assessment of the situation.

"Shut up, Marcus!" Paul said threateningly, stepping between his daughter and the black man. "None of us are here for anything else besides destroying the Witch's House. What the piece of shit Outsider that owns this place thinks it's doing, isn't any of our fault. Least of all Viola's."

"Oh really?" Marcus countered. "I don't think Viola would agree. Would you, Viola?"

The blonde didn't reply, instead shrinking into herself in the face of the fierce accusations and her leader's hateful glare.

_That's taking it too far._ The lightning savant thought to herself as she stepped in front of the spatial mage and glaring back at Marcus. _He's right, but does he really need to rub it in like this? Especially when it's liable to upset Miss Viola and piss off Lady Ellen?_

Thankfully, she wasn't the only person in the party who seemed to think this way, as Hans hastily stepped between Paul and Marcus even as both men prepared to attack each other.

"You crossed the line, Marcus." The tall man said, his voice belying none of the tension his body language subtly radiated. "Paul is right, we're here to destroy the House. Whatever else happened, that's still our mission. And we won't manage that unless we work together."

The way Marcus seethed indicated he was far from mollified, but it seemed he was willing to set his anger aside for now.

"Fine," he said curtly. "Then let's get moving."

Taana shot a quick look at Viola to check if she needed a respite after that intense argument, but only got a shaky nod in return.

_Can't say she isn't brave or lacks a spine._ The Shadar-kai concluded as she grabbed the girl's shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze.

"Ignore Marcus," the storm sorceress added. "Let what happens, happen."

Viola just gave her a skeptical look.

"Look I'm not that great with advice. That's usually Neia's job." Taana said with a apologetic shrug. "But you really should just let your heart guide you."

"Stop putting deviant thoughts into my daughter's mind, slave of the Outsiders." Paul said warningly as he came up behind the two women.

Taana was at her limit with this man and his irrational hatred, so with sparks arcing off her body she spun around to glare at him right in his face. She would have done a lot more too, if not for Marcus shouting at them from ahead.

"Hurry up! If we're doing this then we shouldn't waste anymore time."

"Coming~!" Taana singsonged as she spun back around and looping her arm with Viola's began strolling up to meet up to an impatient Marcus and an uneasy Hans, Paul trailing unhappily in their wake.

* * *

Walking down the maze like cellar, following Viola's directions, Taana could feel a palpable tension surrounding them, probably a result of the earlier argument. A state of affairs that she could not help but find oddly amusing and even nostalgic, it reminded her of the tension she had with Gauldoth when they had first become a party.

Despite this, she was getting a little worried about Viola. She wasn't taking the hostile atmosphere well and was visibly wilting. So much so that it was affecting the distorted space she was maintaining around them, which was getting ever more surreal and chaotic.

The Shadar-kai would've gone to comfort the poor girl but her father was glaring at her and hovering over his daughter protectively. If she did, it would likely just cause another argument that would make Viola even more upset.

Sighing in frustration, she turned her attention away from the humans and observed her surroundings or at least what little of it she could see of it through Viola's magic. She noticed that instead of the light being provided by Fairies like in the upper floors, the light here in the cellar was instead provided by creatures hovering in the air with a clear, spherical head with a black covering on top which resembled a lampshade with a pointed spike on top that contained a bluish purple flame and oval, yellow eyes.

Seizing on the new creature as an excuse to get past the barrier of Overprotective Daddy Paul, she addressed a question at Viola.

"Yo Viola," Taana said using the lighthearted term of address that had been popularised by Aura-sama. "What are these lamp things?"

"Shouldn't you already know what they are?" Paul retorted, before his daughter could even open her mouth.

"I might have been a guest in the House for a couple weeks but I've never been in the basement." Taana replied with a shrug. "So I've never actually seen these things before."

Paul opened his mouth, probably to shut her down, but Viola preempted him.

"They're Soul Lamps." The beloved of Lady Ellen said confidently. "They are animated lamps whose flames are fuelled by the lost souls the House collects every time it arrives in a time."

"Oh." Taana said dumbfounded by that bit of information. She'd never imagined that these relatively benign looking monsters had such a macabre origin.

_Note to self: do not let Demiurge-sama or Gauldoth catch wind of these things._

Who knows what abominations they would create if they used these Soul Lamps as inspiration.

"Now that your curiosity is sated, you can leave Viola alo-"

Paul was cut short when without warning, with the burst of a fireball and the sound of shattering glass, Viola's spatial distortions collapsed.

Taana's eyes widened as she saw what shot the fireball.

In the middle of a large circular room directly in front of a stairs leading up, was a creature that resembled an animated chandelier. It had a striped, round head, and round, pupil-less yellow eyes. Its body consisted of a ring of small, black spikes on top of its head with a tall, purple flame in the middle. From a black spike below its head, black arms curled upward, each of which was tipped with purple fire from which the faces of tormented souls could be seen screaming soundlessly on occasion.

A monster that was glaring at them menacingly. As were the dozens of Soul Lamps circling around it and the small horde of Zombies massed in front of it.

_Holy Bones, this might be a problem._ Taana observed nervously as she gauged the strength of the enemy force facing them. _Really wishing the others were here right now._

"That's the Chandelier of Torment," Viola whispers in a terrified voice even as she snapped up a new barrier of distorted space. "It's the chief processor of the House's collected souls."

" _ **Yo U ShALl nOT PaSS!**_" The Chandelier proclaimed confidently in the composite voice forged from the agonized screams of innumerable tortured souls.

Without waiting for a reply, the monster proceeded to flood the room with its purple flames. The moment that the eldritch fire touched Viola's barriers, they shattered like glass and as the furthermost shields collapsed, the team scattered.

"Don't let its fire touch you!" Viola shouted as they all scrambled for some island of safety within the growing sea of flames. "They won't just burn but cause necrotic injuries too."

"Nice of it to give us these neat places to get out of its AOE spell." Taana noted sarcastically as she vaulted over the edge of a large wooden box which was somehow unaffected by the purple conflagration.

"It's more game logic!" Viola shouted back from where she'd managed to get on top of a pile of wood. "It wouldn't be far if there wasn't some places of safety."

Places of safety was a debatable description for where the team had found themselves. Besides Taana and Viola, Hans and Marcus had been able to scramble atop what looked like some kind of broken machinery while Paul had climbed to the top of a stack of crates. All places which offered zero cover for the fireballs that the Chandelier had the ability to toss around.

" _ **It WIL l NoT SaVE yOU!**_"

This was the cue for the Chandelier and its retinue of Soul Lamps to open up on the team with their purple fireballs. Thankfully, Viola was on the ball and a series of her spatial barriers sprung up into place seconds before the soulfire would have hit them. Unfortunately, the dark flames seemed just as effective as ever at shattering Viola's magic and each of her barriers shattered at the slightest hit.

This meant that with everyone exposed, Viola was the only thing keeping them alive. Focused on that, she was for all intents and purposes out of the fight.

_Just great! Just when we need her too!_ The Shadar-kai whined in the safety of her mind as she noticed the Zombies advancing on the party, unimpeded by the Chandelier's violet fire.

"Well, as Drau would say 'No point crying over spilt milk'. There's nothing for it but to fight." Taana said with a steadying breath. "Here goes! **Arc of Lightning!** "

Gesturing at a Zombie at either end of their advancing horde with each of her hands, Taana sent a bolt of electricity surging through the two monsters intentionally sending it coursing through the dozens of their tightly packed fellows inbetween at the same time. In one fell swoop, she'd essentially wiped out the whole Zombie horde!

Taana was on the verge of cheering when she noticed the Soul Lamps start changing targets and begin shooting their fireballs at the decomposing corpses of the Zombies instead, something which revived the undead creatures.

"As Drau would say in this situation, bullshit!"

"Agreed!" Hans shouted back as he sent his magic bullet whizzing through the air in a mad dance that shattered the glass heads of a trio of Soul Lamps and counting.

Next to him, Marcus was focusing his fire on the Chandelier cursing the fact that Frank was dead and unavailable to add his own weight to their barrage.

Taana couldn't help but roll her eyes at the idiot.

_At least the party's other idiot was making himself useful._

Paul, seemingly set on evening up their numerical advantage, had summoned a whole battalion's worth of imps and sent them in a mad rush at the Soul Lamps. Between him and Hans' magic bullet, the damned things were quickly falling one by one.

_Guess I should thin the Zombies too._

" **Moonbow.** " The lightning mage whispered, as her spell summoned dozens of glowing motes of electricity around her which she promptly sent screaming at the revived undead monsters. Each orb of lightning at Taana's mental direction sought out its own target that it proceeded to slam into and proceed to reduce to ash in a powerful electrical explosion.

" _ **noT gOo D eNougH!**_"

With that ominous statement, the sea of flames that filled their surroundings flared up as if a whole bunch of fuel had been added to it all of a sudden. Instantly, Viola's barriers shattered. Worse the flames consumed the little pockets of safety that the party had managed to find.

As the flames washed over her, their heat and necrotic power seeped into her body completely ignoring the **Mage Armor** spell she had active and causing her enough intense agony that despite everything she'd endured in her years as an adventurer, she screamed. It wasn't just her flesh burning, she could feel her very soul being consumed by the Chandelier's foul fire.

_Damn, this is getting serious. I might have to use the-_

Before she could even finish the thought, she suddenly felt fine again.

"Huh?" The Shadar-kai blinked in confusion at what just happened, before her attention was caught by the faint colorless aura around her body. Taana didn't recognize the spell, but she definitely recognized Viola's handiwork.

_She's using temporal magic to reverse any damage the flames are causing! Shit! This is high level stuff._ Taana noted with some awe. _She's growing stronger faster than I've ever dreamed possible._

"Someone kill it! Quickly!" Viola shouted desperately, her voice sounding strained. "I can't keep this up for long!"

Taana was only too happy to oblige.

_But what spell to use? We're indoors so I can't use my really big guns, so I guess I'll have to settle for-_

" **Twin Maximize Magic: Dragon Lightning!** " The servant of Ainz incanted confidently.

At her invocation, a pair of massive writhing lung dragons leapt from her hands and flew straight into the Chandelier of Torment. The monster flailed around in pain for a few moments, in the process shooting its nightmarish soulfire in all directions, but finally collapsed to the ground dead. With its passing, its eldritch flames began to die out too.

_That's another boss down._ Taana thought, at once proud of her achievement and annoyed. _I shouldn't be the one carrying the weight on this team. They are not my party and more importantly, this is essentially Viola's rite of passage to prove she's worthy of Ellen. She needs to step up._

As if sensing her thoughts, an exhausted looking Viola turned to Taana and gave her a nod.

_Well, at least she knows it. I guess I can continue to pick up her slack for now._ The Shadar-kai thought to herself with a shrug.

* * *

**And done!**

**This chapter was surprisingly hard to write, mainly because I was forced to take a couple weeks away from writing on this fic due to work so when I got back to it, things just didn't flow as well as it used to. That said, I pushed through it and I hope the end result is still acceptable.**

**AllForFire: Oh boy ho boy, my girl getting her chance to shine!~^^ Hope you enjoyed as well!**

**Let me know if it is with a review.**

**Till next time, peace.**


	19. Who's afraid of the dark?

**Disclaimer: I don't own Witch's House or any of the IPs from which my imported characters originate.**

**Why Cute Witches Should Deal With Outsiders (And Their Lairs)**

**Chapter 18: Who's afraid of the dark?**

**Beta: AllForFire**

* * *

The cellar of the Beauclerk manor was a dark, largely forgotten place that was filled with odds and ends that had been discarded there over the years. Broken furniture, excess building material from construction projects, even some abandoned machinery from a previous Duke's experiments, and all manner of other, perhaps more exotic items could be found within its cavernous depths.

This was precisely why the precocious eight year old Ellen enjoyed playing down in its dark confines so much. There was so much to explore and discover! Especially, when she could see perfectly fine in the dark thanks to a nifty little piece of magic Black Cat had taught her.

As such, when Cat let her take a break from her lessons to go play, she'd jumped at the chance and suggested they head down into the cellar to play catch.

Hiding behind a pillar as part of the game, she felt the presence of someone walking nearby, another trick she'd learned from her mentor, which she's shamelessly using to cheat in their game.

_I'm totally going to win this!_ Ellen thought to herself. _And it's all your own fault, Cat! Who asked you to teach me all these useful spells?_

She was pulled out of her own mind when the sound of a terrified voice calling out her name started coming from the direction of the stairs.

_That's Monica. What's she doing down here?_ She's terrified of the dark.

Turning to face the voice, she saw the maid holding a lantern, casting a small circle of light around her. Though this seemed to be little comfort to the older girl, who still looked scared stiff of the darkness surrounding her.

"Miss Ellen," the maid cried out in a shaky voice, "It's time to get ready for dinner."

Ellen tilts her head to the side and uses one of her spells to check the time.

_It's half past seven already? Really? I hadn't realized it was that late._ Ellen mused. _I guess they're right when they say that time flies when you're having fun._

Pouting at the fact that this meant that her playtime was over, Ellen stepped out from behind the pillar and began walking towards Monica.

The other girl couldn't see her approach through the dark, so as she entered the fringes of the light from the lantern, her sudden appearance startled the timid maid.

"No need to be afraid, Monica." Ellen reassured her friend. "It's only me."

The maid didn't reply. She was a little too busy regaining her wits.

Looking on Ellen couldn't help but feel exasperation at people being afraid of the dark.

* * *

**And done!**

**Hope you guys enjoyed it.**

**Don't know if you caught the subtext here, but basically this chapter is to show how quickly Ellen became odd, or rather inhuman, once she started getting into her powers. This is an important precedent for a similar situation later in the story. What do I mean? Read to find out.**

**AllForFire: SpoOoOoky.~^^X)**

**Till next time, peace.**


	20. The Kitchen

**Disclaimer: I don't own Witch's House or any of the IPs from which my imported characters originate.**

**Why Cute Witches Should Deal With Outsiders (And Their Lairs)**

**Chapter 19: The Kitchen**

**Beta: AllForFire**

* * *

As the team climbed the stairs out of the cellar, Hans felt he could cut the tension that enveloped his team with a knife. It was so thick that it was becoming suffocating.

He got why Marcus was angry, they'd lost two teammates already. He'd been steadily building up a full head of steam about this ever since Hazel died back in the Library, but it had taken Frank's death to push him over the edge.

But at the same time, he could also sympathize with what Viola was going through. Yes, they had clearly walked into a trap by coming into the Witch's House, but the poor girl wasn't to blame for that. If anyone was really at fault, it was the Outsider who ruled the House and her insane idea of what counts as courting.

And then there was the odd thing going on between Paul and the mysterious Taana woman. The man was acting all defensive and was being oddly protective of Viola in regards to the other woman. While the woman was certainly suspicious, it also wasn't hard to tell that Paul was hiding something as well and that whatever it was, it was causing his odd behavior.

Hans was tempted to pry but every time he felt the urge, he was overcome with the now-familiar presence of the House in his mind, squashing his curiosity.

_Damn this place and its-_ Was as far Hans got in his curse before the House wiped away the brunt of his animosity.

Suppressing a sigh at how the House was making a mockery of his free will, he tuned in on Marcus and Viola as the latter pressed the girl on what to expect next.

"Here's the door." Marcus said in an angry growl, gesturing to the door at the top of the stairs with his rifle. "So Viola, what can we expect on the other side?"

If the spatial witch was intimidated by the black man's demeanor, she didn't let on. Instead, she replied in a calm, professional manner.

"It leads to the pantry and as far as I know there should be nothing waiting for us there."

"Sounds convenient. A little _too_ convenient. I find it hard to believe _your precious Ellen_ would so nice as to give us a safe room just to catch a breather." Marcus said suspiciously.

Ignoring the way that Viola tensed in displeasure at the way he talked about the object of her affection, he turned to look at the rest of the team. "Be ready for anything."

With that warning, he swung the door to the pantry open.

He had barely pulled it ajar when a powerful force slammed it the rest of the way open while sucking them through to the next room.

Amazingly, whatever force was responsible kept them on their feet and despite some minor disorientation, Hans quickly regained his wits.

A quick instinctive survey of his surroundings revealed that they had ended up in a large room that resembled a small warehouse full of shelves stocked full of groceries.

More worrying though, was the redheaded maid standing at the far side of the room with a cadre of Servants armed with swords and a half dozen Soul Lamps at her flanks. Thankfully, they seemed to be standing there and waiting patiently for the team to recover.

Unfortunately, Marcus was apparently feeling too hot headed to exploit the breathing room that the enemy was giving them. So instead of taking the opportunity to regroup and come up with some plan or issue some orders, their "glorious leader" chose to let loose an angry roar and open fire while half the team was still getting their bearings.

"Damn it Marcus," Hans hissed in frustration as he dove for cover behind a shelf full of crates.

_Why the hell did the higher ups decide it was a good idea to appoint someone so prone to angry outbursts as our leader again?_ The sniper thought to himself as his cover was hit by a ball of soulfire from one of the Soul Lamps.

Without popping out of his cover, he fired a shot from his musket towards the ceiling before sprinting out from behind the shelf and towards the safety of a stack of barrels instead. Using the brief amount of time he was in the open, he glanced at the position of a couple of the pesky Soul Lamps and guided his already airborne magic bullet in a series of confusing maneuvers to take the monsters out.

He didn't get to glimpse his kills, but the satisfying sound of shattering glass and metal crashing to the ground told him that he'd taken out at least one of his targets.

Taking a glance at his teammates, he was relieved to see that they were all still alive.

Viola had acted quickly enough to twist space in front of Paul and Taana to protect them from the attack that Marcus' reckless actions had prematurely triggered. Though they had wisely opted to seek cover of the more physical sort just in case, perhaps remembering how easily the previous Maid had dispelled Viola's magic.

Speaking of the black man…He was running from cover to cover and trying to make his way ever closer towards the Maid. He wasn't making much progress though, as the Soul Lamps were liberally setting whole sections of the pantry on fire and successfully kept him away. Not that this seemed to deter Marcus' single-minded determination to close in with the Maid, so much so that he seemed to be completely oblivious to the fact that one of the Servants was even now sneaking up behind him with a rapier raised to gut him.

_He's usually not this unaware of his surroundings,_ the sniper noted even as he fired a shot from his musket and took out the Servant just as it was about to stab down.

"Marcus what the hell are you doing? Pay attention to your flanks, you idiot!"

"No time!" The team leader shouted back. "Watch my back. I'll focus on taking down the Maid."

It wasn't a completely idiotic idea at least. The Maid's support magic would definitely be a problem, but letting down his guard so completely to focus on going on the offensive? That was beyond reckless. Was Marcus really so affected by the House's influence that he was losing that much of his edge?

Shaking his head to push these thoughts aside for when they weren't actively fighting for their lives, Hans popped his head out of cover even as he fired his musket to guide his magic bullet in taking out another two Soul Lamps, and giving an opening for Marcus to advance a few rows towards the enemy.

_Where's Viola's spatial warping? Usually by now she would've turned this whole place into some kind of surrealist wonderland._

Hans' curiosity was sated when he heard the sounds of snapping fingers being followed that of shattering glass.

"Damn it Tiffany!" Viola cursed, presumably as her spatial warping was dispelled.

The Maid, presumably Tiffany, simply shot her a taunting smile in reply.

The blonde wasn't out of tricks though. With a sweep of her right hand she sent a spatial blade screeching across the length of the pantry towards the Maid. The monster wasn't fazed, and simply tapped her foot lightly on the ground and summoned a massive rock wall that absorbed the attack before exploding outward, sending deadly shrapnel at the team.

_Holy shit!_ Hans panicked as he dove back behind cover, hoping that it would protect him even though he _knew_ it wouldn't.

In contrast, Viola just hissed in annoyance and conjured a barrage of bullets made of warped space, sending them slamming into the flying stone and destroying them.

As their exchange ended, both woman exchanged a look. Viola radiated annoyance while the Maid just looked amused. Not that they kept it so simple for more than a second or two. Hans had barely managed to come to terms with the fact that he wasn't dead yet when the two powerhouse mages were back at throwing insanely powerful spells at each other.

_Okay, I'm definitely staying out of their little duel._ Hans noted to himself as magma blasts flew past his cover, only to splatter harmlessly against a wall of distorted space that promptly shifted into a funnel, redirecting the molten earth back at its creator in a high pressure stream.

Not all his teammates seemed to have his prudence though, as even while high-powered spells were flying back and forth like nobody's business, Paul was summoning pack after pack of hellhounds and sending them in suicidal charges at the Maid. Most were simply taken out by the crossfire between the magical titans, and the handful that did make it through that gauntlet didn't fare any better as they were easily dispatched by the Servants guarding the Maid.

Speaking of magical titans, the mysterious Taana was also adding her fair share to the frankly over the top storm of spells that filled the air of the pantry as she sent **Lightning Bolts** flying one after another at the Soul Lamps, scoring a kill with each discharge of sorcerous electricity.

Not wanting to be dead weight, Hans risked a peek out from behind the barrels and picked out a trio of Soul Lamps harassing Marcus and fired his musket. His bullet took out two of them before the third wised up and shot a fireball directly into its path, reducing it to useless slag.

_It can do that!?_ The sniper gasped in shock, as he barely dove back behind the barrels to avoid the tongue of flame that the monster shot his way in retaliation. It burned away at the barrels with worrying speed, and Hans was forced out into the open to search for new cover. He was fortunately saved from being roasted alive by one of Taana's **Lightning Bolts** taking out the Soul Lamp he'd so grievously offended before it could redirect its flames his way.

This still left him with the problem of crossing the no man's land between Viola and the Maid though, and he sprinted with his all to avoid the clash between a brace of spiraling spatial bullets and a barrage of diamond lances.

Diving behind the dubious safety of another shelf full of crates, Hans regathered himself just in time to see Viola pull off quite the trick.

It seemed her spatial bullets had just been a distraction. One designed to hide her true attack which appeared to be a set of spatial blades. The Maid had seen through this though, easily sidestepping the rends in reality, but in doing so had missed how they had nicely boxed her in. She raised her hands, presumably to fire off another spell, when suddenly a new unexpected spatial blade appeared out of nowhere, flying at three times the normal speed towards her. The former human was unfazed and her left foot moved to tap the ground, but it moved painfully slowly.

Too slowly for it to be normal.

The Maid realized it too, eyes widened in shock even as the abnormally fast spatial blade cut her and her remaining support Servants in two.

_Temporal magic on top of spatial magic? Nice._ Hans thought with an appreciative whistle as he walked out of his cover and fired his musket, sending his bullet to smash the few remaining, and now fleeing, Soul Lamps.

"Good job, Viola." Marcus said begrudgingly as he too walked out of his cover.

_Looks like I'm not the only one impressed with that epic magical duel._

"After seeing you put up such a tough fight against that Maid, well-" Marcus said before trailing off and changing tack. "Look, I'm not sorry for doubting your determination to see this mission through. Not after everything we've learned about you and Ellen."

Viola didn't seem to like what he was saying, if her frown was any indication, but she nevertheless nodded in acceptance.

"But I guess what I'm saying is, that I'm at least reassured now that you won't throw a fight just to be with your girlfriend."

"Marcus, Ellen isn't my girlfriend," Viola said, with a faint wistfulness.

"Exactly." Paul agreed enthusiastically as he joined the group.

Doing the same, Taana just snorted at Paul's comment but said nothing.

Hans had to agree with the mysterious woman. Considering the circumstances, he doesn't see why Viola is even still denying that she's dating the Outsider or how Paul could still deny it either.

Marcus either didn't catch their skepticism or didn't care, because he ignored them in favor of continuing to address Viola.

"I'm not sure if we're on the same page about destroying the House."

Hans noted with some apprehension that Viola bit her lip at this.

"Of course she is," Paul reassured them. "Aren't you, Viola?"

His daughter just looked away, unwilling to reply.

Exhibiting what Hans was coming to see as a case of chronic denial, the summoner ignored his daughter's reaction.

"See." He gestured towards the girl as if she had wholeheartedly agreed with him. "Together we'll see the House ended."

"Don't go making promises you can't keep." Taana warned scathingly.

Paul shot her a furious look for questioning him and looked about ready to start a fight.

Acting quickly, Hans put himself between the two magic users.

"Enough." He told the elder Smith in a deadly serious tone. "Save your anger for the enemy, _not_ our allies."

Paul growled in anger and in a remarkable show of his lack of maturity stomped his way towards the door out of the pantry in a hissy fit.

"Wait!" Marcus ordered.

Thankfully the summoner hadn't taken _complete_ leave of his senses and obeyed, saving them from starting a fight they weren't prepared for.

Something that caused Hans to heave a sigh of relief.

"Viola-" Marcus began, only for the blonde to preempt him with an amused smile.

The marksman couldn't blame her, she had been asked the question so many times it had become routine.

"That door leads to the Kitchen, the domain of Ellen's cook." Viola dutifully filled them in on what to expect in the next room. "He's a demon that goes by the name, the Butcher."

"Sounds charming," Marcus couldn't help saying with a resigned sigh.

"He is actually," Viola said with a nod. "At least once you look pass the fact that he's a bulky ogre-sized demon with curved ram horns and all. Or that he always walks around with that massive flaming cleaver and chain sickle of his."

"Not helping your case here, Viola." Marcus pointed out with a groan.

"A demon cook? Really?" Hans asked incredulously. "Why would demons even need cooks?"

"They still need to eat, right?" Taana pointed out with a shrug. " _Of course_ they have cooks."

Hans had honestly never really thought about that, but it did make sense.

"I guess?" The sniper replied with a shrug.

"Anything else we can expect in there?" Marcus cut in, getting the conversation back on track.

"No," the spatial mage confirmed with a shake of her head. "The Butcher doesn't like mobs in his domain, so he's all alone in there."

Marcus nodded, as an uncharacteristic sadistic smile spread across his face.

"Then let's go change that shall we?" He said, bloodlust oozing from every word.

_Okay, the House is definitely messing with him and quite bad-_ Hans thought before his mind blanked out.

_Huh? What was I thinking about again?_

Whatever it was, the sniper was given no time to think on it as Marcus called out to him.

"Hans, hurry up!" The team leader shouted impatiently from next to the exit.

Shaking his head to dispel his lingering confusion over the latest blank spot in his memory, Hans hurried over to join the rest of his team.

_Right, no time to worry about that for now. It's killing time._

* * *

The team burst through the door into a room that was insanely hot. The source of this heat was immediately obvious.

There was fire _everywhere_! Literally.

Flames would burst to life and sputter randomly from every corner and surface of what would otherwise have looked exactly like a modern industrial kitchen. The whole room appeared as though it would not have been at all out of place if it had been part of some nightmarish hell.

Oh wait! It was.

To make matters worse, Marcus noticed with great annoyance that the door back into the pantry had disappeared the moment they all finished stepping into this infernal Kitchen.

The only upside was that there was no one to receive them.

"So where's this Butch-" Marcus asked, before his question became moot as the fiend teleported in via a pillar of flame.

His arrival seemed to signal a rise in the already nigh intolerable temperature of his domain. It was so bad that it distracted Marcus enough to miss the demon tossing his chain sickle in his direction. Hans had his back though and used one of his magic bullets to deflect the weapon.

"My demons won't fight!" Paul shouted, sounding shocked.

_No shit, Sherlock! You're up against what must be an upper level demon and you expect your lowly summons to agree to pick a fight with one of their superiors?_ Marcus thought with a shake of his head at the summoner's naivety, even as he switched the rounds in his rifle out for some cryo rounds.

The others were spreading out, which was a good idea. With that chain of his, if they stayed bunched together it could wrap them all up in one go if it got lucky.

_Should have told them that before we got here._ Marcus thought to himself with a frown, even as he took aim and Hans deflected an attempt by the Butcher to ensnare a distracted Paul. _Why didn't I?_

The team leader continued to ruminate on his uncharacteristic lapse in judgement, even as he pulled the trigger, sending a burst of his freezing bullets at the blood-red demon. They exploded inches from the ogre's skin and encased it in thick bands of ice. Not that the ice lasted more than a handful of seconds before the monster's naturally high body temperature caused it to sublimate directly into vapor.

They nevertheless seemed to have hurt the creature as it stumbled back in noticeable pain.

Smirking at finally facing a monster that he could wound, Marcus fired a few more bursts.

Unfortunately, the Butcher seemed to have learned from his first volley, and simply used its cleaver as an impromptu shield to protect itself, while also conjuring walls of flame to intercept his fire.

"Shit!" Marcus cursed in frustration at being thwarted. Even more so when he noticed he wasn't the only one. Hans' magic bullets were being countered too. In his case, by the sheer temperature of the room which seemed to somehow reduce his bullets to slag long before they got anywhere close to the demon. Even Viola was having trouble, as she repeatedly tried but failed to set up her trademark spatial warping. Though none of them were rendered as ineffectual as Paul who had been reduced to impotently flinging _fireballs_ at a fire demon!

In contrast to the others, Taana wasn't as hamstrung. Taking advantage of the distraction Marcus' cryo bullets had created, the mysterious inhuman woman had used some kind of spell to transform into a bolt of lightning and closed the distance with the demon.

She tried to cut the Butcher down with her lightning-imbued sword, but in a terrifying display of skill and dexterity, the demon somehow managed to move quickly enough to shift its cleaver from shielding against Marcus' fire to parry Tanna's slash. The woman's guard was left wide open as the demon pushed her sword out of the way with its cleaver. Capitalizing on this, the Butcher lashed out at her with a powerful punch from its other arm.

" **Body of Effulgent Beryl!** " The woman shouted mere seconds from being turned into a bloody paste.

Her spell seemed to negate enough of the strength of the blow that she survived, though it doesn't stop it from sending her flying into a wall and unconsciousness.

"Taana!" Viola shouted in concern, as she finally gave up on attempting to warp space and instead advanced on the demon while sending a brace of spatial blades flying at it.

The slivers of twisted space cut deeply into the monster's flesh, but it was unbothered. Unsurprising, considering how the wounds healed almost as soon as they were made.

All this while Marcus had been repositioning, trying to get a clean shot through the walls of flame that the Butcher had been putting between itself and him to protect it from his cryo rounds. He'd had no luck.

Until now.

Viola's attack might not have actually hurt it, or if it did Marcus hadn't noticed. Like he hadn't noticed in the fight with the Librari -

Marcus cut off that line of thought. It wasn't the time for self-doubt. Instead, he focused on the fact that the spatial witch's spell, for whatever reason, had caused the Butcher to drop its walls of fire, thus giving him a clear shot.

Eagerly pulling the trigger, Marcus expected his bullets to hit the demon and cause it to flinch oh-so-satisfyingly in pain.

Instead, all that came out of the barrel of his gun was puffs of steam.

"No way," the black man muttered in disbelief.

The unnatural heat that permeated the Kitchen had become intense enough that it had literally caused his cryo bullets to sublimate straight into steam the moment they left the barrel of his gun!

Marcus wasn't the only one freaking out though, Viola was too. Her earlier anger at Taana's injury had dissipated, replaced by a desperate panic as her attacks failed to do any lasting damage on the Butcher. The accursed demon just healed even the most grievous injuries that the powerful mage dealt it. Heck, the damn thing was so unperturbed by it all that it just stood there with its arms spread, as if taunting her to hit him with something that would do some actual damage.

Her panic was having quite an effect on her too, as it seemed to have caused her to become surrounded by an aura of power that made her look like some kind of distorted figure straight out of some surrealist artist's most exaggerated imaginings.

"No, no. This can't be happening." Paul muttered while shaking his head in denial, backing away from his daughter.

Marcus was mildly curious about the reasons behind the man's freak out - there was a story there, no doubt - but was too enthralled by whatever was happening to Viola to look away.

Similarly ignoring the man, the blonde lifted her arms, which now seemed as thin as sheets of paper, and stretched them across the room to wrap them around the Butcher's neck. The demon finally seem to see this as a threat, shaking off its passivity and beginning to try and cut off Viola's inhuman arms with its cleaver. It had no effect though, not even as it poured power into the weapon and turned its flames into a blinding white.

Slowly but surely, the monster's struggles were getting weaker. The teenager was literally choking the life out of the monstrous demon.

_Holy shit!_ Marcus finally managed as he looked away from the impossible sight. _What the hell has she become?_

The team leader shot a look at Hans and saw the same incomprehension written across his old friend's face.

Movement caught his eye, and he glanced at it to see Taana had regained consciousness, leaning against the wall while looking on at what Viola was doing with a small smirk.

Puzzles pieces began to fit together in Marcus' mind.

The fact that Viola was seemingly the object of an Outsider's affections...

The way Taana, a servant of an Outsider, was always so kind to Viola, almost deferential in fact…

The odd references and words that Taana let slip and which Paul reacted to…

Viola's rapidly increasing powers, and now her strange transformation…

_Viola is a-_

Marcus blinked in confusion, _What was I thinking about again?_

He was soon distracted from his thoughts however by the sound of a loud snap. Turning to its source, Marcus saw the limp body of the demon impossibly hanging from the outstretched arms of the completely human looking Viola.

_How!?_

* * *

**And done!**

**I actually quite like how this chapter turned out. Even the fight scenes which I often struggle with and find subpar. For some reason, I liked how they came out this time. Hope you guys agree.**

**AllForFire: Pretty sweet indeed, I say.~ Things really got...heated.**

**Besides that, I mostly just want to point out two things.**

**Firstly, the fact that this chapter goes out of its way to show just how badly both Hans and Marcus are being manipulated by the House. If it isn't already obvious, they are being seen by Ellen as nothing more than tools to bring Viola where she wants her both literally and figuratively. Thus she's messing with their minds a great deal to get what she wants out of them.**

**Secondly, is the little revelation at the end of the chapter. I think I signposted it quite obviously for quite a while now. But if you missed it, well… I won't spell it out just yet, so hang in there for a little bit.**

**AllForFire: Nah, pretty clear, methinks.~**

**Beyond that I don't think I have anything else to say here, so see you all next time. Peace.**


	21. True Forms

**Disclaimer: I don't own Witch's House or any of the IPs from which my imported characters originate.**

**Why Cute Witches Should Deal With Outsiders (And Their Lairs)**

**Chapter 20: True Forms**

**Beta: AllForFire**

* * *

It was a cool winter night, and most young children would be in bed trying, with varying degrees of success, to both keep warm and enjoy a good night's sleep.

Despite this however nine year old Ellen Beauclerk was in contrast to most of her peers, sitting in front of a mirror in the darkness of her family manor's cellar and admiring her reflection.

Then again, this was understandable. After all Ellen was no ordinary girl.

A fact attested to by what was reflected back by the looking glass. Instead of a little girl, the mirror instead showed the form of a monster.

A monster with golden eyes and a gaseous purple body that only held the vague shape of a human girl.

"Is this what I really look like?" Ellen asked her trusted mentor, Black Cat, as she examined her reflection.

"For now, yes." The magical cat replied. "As you age and come further into your power however, it will likely change."

Still entranced by her inhuman reflection, Ellen pondered what she would look like when she was grown up.

"Will I be an awesome looking dragon? Oh! Maybe a many tentacled creature? Or, Primals forbid, some amorphous blob?" Ellen asked rattling off the possibilities that came to mind.

"There really is no limit to what form you could end up taking," Cat replied.

"You're no help, you know that?" Ellen said with a pout.

Cat just chuckled.

"I'm being as helpful as can be," he said in between laughs. "It's not my fault that our forms are so very variable."

"Yeah, yeah," Ellen said waving his explanation away dismissively. "You're just saying that because you're being absolutely no help at all."

"Apologies, sweetling." Cat said mockingly.

Ellen sighed.

_There was no getting the better of him was there? No matter, maybe I can get him something out of him yet._

"You know, if you're really sorry then you could make it up to me by doing me a favor?" Ellen said as she finally turned away from the mirror to give her full attention to Black Cat.

"Oh? And what favor would that be?"

"Nothing earth shattering," Ellen assured him. "I just want to see _your_ true form is all."

At her request, Black Cat tilted his head and hummed in consideration for a moment.

"I suppose there's no harm to it," the creature masquerading as a cat said finally.

Ellen cheered. Finally! After years of knowing her mentor, she was at last going to see him for what he truly was!

"Be prepared though, sweet Ellen, for my form will shock you!"

"I'm sure it will, Cat." Ellen said, playing along. "Now please hurry up! I want to see it."

Cat chuckled at her enthusiasm even as the edges of his shape begin to fray and become gaseous...

* * *

**And that's it folks.**

**Hope you guys liked it.**

**Before I go though, I have a question for you readers. Namely whether you think Ellen would be able to piece together just who Black Cat is to her by seeing his true form? Let me know your opinion in a review.**

**Till next time, peace.**


	22. The Hall of Mirrors

**Disclaimer: I don't own Witch's House or any of the IPs from which my imported characters originate.**

**Why Cute Witches Should Deal With Outsiders (And Their Lairs)**

**Chapter 21: The Hall of Mirrors**

**Beta: AllForFire**

* * *

Seeing the surreal sight of his daughter holding the limp body of the demonic cook by the very neck she'd snapped sent a shiver of fear down Paul's spine.

It reminded him of what his precious Viola had become, if only briefly, to accomplish the grisly feat.

A creature he'd swore to never allow her to become.

He had failed.

But perhaps not all hope was lost. She was human now and if he played his cards right that was what she would remain.

Hurrying over to her side, he grabbed hold of her shoulders. Startled, she dropped the corpse which promptly began to decay.

"Viola," the father addressed his daughter urgently. "Never use that power again! Promise me!"

His sweet, misguided daughter shook her head.

"I can't promise that, Dad." Viola said, biting her lip guiltily. "I might need to use it to save us again."

"I don't care!" Paul roared, shaking her to emphasize his demand. "Promise me!"

"Stop." The sniper said coldly, alongside the click of his gun.

Paul did as he was told, but not without shooting the ignorant interloper a deadly glare.

"Glare all you want Paul," the other man said with a shrug. "I don't like it any more than you do, but Viola's right."

"I agree, but we shouldn't be having this conversation here." Their supposed leader cut in while gesturing to the still intense flames all around them.

"Dad, they're right. Let's get out of here." Viola cajoled.

Paul turned to address her, but found himself blocked by the Outsider's servant who had interposed herself between them and was shooting him a warning look.

"Fine," the summoner mustered through gritted teeth.

He knew a lost battle when he saw one. He took a step back and nodded to Marcus expectantly.

The man scanned the room. Without the distraction of its demonic boss, they were noticing a few more details they had missed. Or simply weren't there before. Such as the multiple doors leading out of the room.

"Viola," Marcus said still looking between the doors available to them. "Before we do anything else, I just want to say that I agree with your father. I'm fully aware your strange new powers are probably the only things keeping us alive, but I don't trust them and what, if anything, they imply. So, I'll say just this: if you show even the slightest sign of turning against us, I'll kill you myself."

Part of Paul recoiled at the thought of any harm coming to his little girl, but for the most part he was in full agreement with the black man.

Better that Viola die than become one of _them_.

"You can try," the inhuman woman said as she flashed her sword threateningly, the blade humming and crackling with power.

Marcus bristled but before he could reply, Viola stepped past the woman.

"I won't," the teenager reassured the man. "But if I do, you have my permission to go right ahead."

"Would you all just shut up!" Hans hissed irritably. "It's _bloody hot_ in this room so could we just _please_ move on already!"

They all turned to Viola for directions, but Paul's smart little girl was already pointing to one of the many doors.

"That way." The girl said as she took the lead, with the others following in her wake. "This leads to the Servant's Stairs. There shouldn't be anything _too_ dangerous in there and it cuts straight up to the top floor where Ellen's room is. So, it's basically a safe shortcut we can use."

"Safe?" Marcus scoffed, as he took up position on the door's right, so he had a clear shot the moment it was open.

"Well, it should be. At least as far as I know." Viola shot back defensively as she gripped the door handle.

"Still better to be cautious," Hans said placatingly as he readied his musket. "Right, Marcus?"

"That's what I meant," the black man gruffly replied to his friend's correction, before dismissing it entirely. "On my mark."

Viola nodded in understanding.

"Three, two, one, mark!"

At his signal, she swung the door open.

They were unexpectedly met with no unpleasant surprises. All they saw was a large square room that seemed to run up four stories, along the edge of which ran a broad set of stairs.

_This is too easy._ Paul thought suspiciously, trying to pick out what trap the House had laid out for them this time.

He wasn't the only one unconvinced that they'd finally scored a lucky break. The whole team remained tense as they warily advanced into the new room while constantly sweeping their surroundings.

Despite their caution however, they were still caught completely by surprise when the anvil finally did drop.

The moment the whole team finished stepping into the stairwell, Hans' head suddenly exploded into a bloody mist.

Viola screamed in horror even as Paul froze in shock.

"Sniper!" Marcus shouted the obvious as he fell into a prone position. "Get down!"

It was thus up to the Taana woman to react.

" **Dragon Lightning!** " She cast, sending a draconic bolt of electricity across the stairwell. "Viola! Snap out of it! Warp space! We need cover!"

Her command worked much better than Marcus' and both Paul and Viola snapped out of their respective trances.

Not that Paul was able to do anything productive with his return to awareness, he was still busy trying to figure out how to respond when Viola, with tears in her eyes, used her magic to shield them in a bubble of distorted space.

"Did you get him?" Marcus asked Taana as he jumped back to his feet, studiously ignoring the corpse of his friend.

In fact… It was almost as if he couldn't see it. More of the House's meddling, no doubt. Not that Paul cared, at least not right now. After all, their chances of survival were greatly enhanced by a leader who wasn't preoccupied with grief.

"He escaped." The lightning mage told the soldier. "I think he can teleport."

"I could summon some hellho-"

"No need," Viola interrupted him with a furious growl, even as she knelt down besides Hans' disintegrating body. "I'll deal with him."

She'd barely finished speaking before the warped space around them began to rapidly expanded to encompass the whole room.

Standing up from the now empty floor, Viola leveled a glare so full of anger that it almost made her unrecognizable at a figure three floors up, on the opposite of the stairwell.

It was a man armed with a long-barreled, futuristic-looking sniper rifle and dressed in a suit of armor made out of large, rigid metal plates molded to fit parts of the body that left only his head unprotected revealing sewn lips like those things they'd encountered at the front doors.

Seeing that it had been discovered, the monster frowned in their direction and readied it's rifle to take a shot.

"Kill it," Viola commanded coldly.

Marcus eagerly obliged by turning his rifle to full auto and letting loose with a protracted burst of his enchanted bullets that sent the creature jerking back with each hit and causing it to look almost if it was dancing.

Deciding that he might as well join in, Paul tossed a fireball the abomination's way just as it began turning to mush.

"Well, I guess that's this room cleared." The summoner said with a relieved sigh. With the boss out of the way, they should have nothing to worry about for now.

His statement was greeted by a chuckle that ominously resounded throughout the whole room.

" **Is that so? I think you lot might be a little premature in declaring victory.** " A cultured, masculine voice replied, even as the chuckles continued to echo all around them.

Viola seemed to recognize the voice, as the moment it spoke she paled and took a frightened step back.

"Viola, what's wrong?" Paul asked his daughter worriedly.

"That's Ellen's father." Viola said in a panicked little voice and looking at their surroundings in such a horrified way that had the summoner wanting to wrap her in a hug. "He's the whole stairwell!"

"Shit!" Marcus cursed, pointing his gun all around him clearly confused about where to aim.

He was given a little unwanted help when suddenly a dozen troll like golems literally walked out of the walls and blocked their path up the stairs.

"That's a nice trick," that damnable Taana woman said, sounding impressed. "I'm sure Lord Ainz would like trying to work it into Nazarick's defenses somehow."

Paul turned to snap at her, but was cut off when the voice spoke once more.

" **The young Lady Viola is correct. I am indeed Duke Elliot Beauclerk, father of Ellen, the Mistress of the Witch' House. And I would like to use this opportunity to have a word with you, Mister Smith."**

" _Me?"_

Paul was surprised. He didn't expect this Duke would have anything to say to him, though as he thought about it… Yes, he had an idea what he would say.

" **Indeed,"** the disembodied voice confirmed. " **And by the look of understanding on your face you can imagine what I have to say, can't you?"**

Marcus and Viola shot him confused looks, but the accursed Outsider servant just smirked knowingly at him.

"Save it!" Paul shouted to the voice, trying to nip this in the bud.

" **I'm afraid my conscience cannot allow that. I must speak my mind or be eternally tormented, or at least more so than I already am."**

"Then get it over with! You're obviously leaving me with no choice." The summoner said gesturing to the golems blocking their way.

" **If you insist. Well, I guess I should just keep it simple. I have a warning for you Mister Smith: you are making the same mistake I did."**

"You're wrong!" Paul shouted defiantly, even as part of him couldn't help by agree with the Duke.

The voice just laughed, shaking the whole stairwell in the process. Paul stumbled, but the others easily kept their footing.

" **Miss Viola, may ask if you've come to realize your true nature?"**

Viola, to Paul's horror, nodded.

" **Then there's no need for any more deception."** The voice said, though it didn't seem directed at them.

Whoever or whatever it was directed at responded by launching some kind of mental attack on Marcus, who staggered around drunkenly for a moment. Viola moved to assist him but Taana stepped in, gesturing for the teenager to focus on the conversation with the disembodied Duke instead.

" **Or denial,"** the voice said, this time clearly directed at Paul. " **After all, it seems that by now everyone here has realized that you, Mister Smith, have fathered a child with a Outsider."**

"Viola isn't a Outsider! She isn't!" Paul shouted with all his conviction.

The Duke just laughed uproariously, causing the room to quake once more. Again Paul was the only one who lost his footing, this time badly enough that he fell into a undignified heap on the floor.

"Paul, stop." Marcus said suddenly as he pushed himself free from Taana. "There's no point denying the obvious. Most of my team is dead, and your denial played a big part in that, so I no longer have the patience to tolerate your bullshit."

The elder Smith could only sputter indignantly at the soldier's blunt criticism.

" **You should really listen to the man,"** the Duke chimed in with a chuckle. " **Your behavior is starting to get embarrassing."**

"I agree." Taana said with a chuckle of her own.

Paul growled in anger, but everyone, even Viola, ignored him.

"Viola, you think you could teleport us pass the golems?"

" **Oh! Good plan, Mister Beckendorf, was it?"** The Duke praised. " **Go right ahead. I won't stop you."**

"You won't?"

" **Of course not. I've learned my lesson when it comes to standing in the way of what Ellen wants. And right now, Miss Viola, what my daughter wants most is** _ **you**_ **."**

"She won't have her! I won't let her."

"That's not your choice to make!" Viola shouted at him. "It's _mine_!"

Paul reeled back in shock at his daughter's vehemence. He'd never seen her so angry or so determined. She looked nothing like the obedient little girl he knew.

Instead… She looked, much to his heartache, like a grown woman resolved to make her own way in the world.

He felt great pride at seeing this, but this was completely overshadowed by the fear he felt for the choice she would soon make, and the consequences for her should she make the wrong decision.

His fear driving him, he marched into Viola's personal space.

"I won't have it!" He roared right in her face.

Hurt seeped into his daughter's beautiful green eyes, but she remained unswayed.

Paul would have said more to convince her to listen to him, but a blade interposed itself between them and forcibly pushed him back. Turning to its owner, he glared at the elfin woman.

"You might be her father, but like she said, this choice is _Viola's_ and no one else's." Taana said, her voice a low, threatening whisper.

" **You really should listen to your daughter, Mister Smith. It'll save you from quite an unpleasant fate."**

Paul was beyond furious by this point. How did all these people dare to meddle in his family affairs! Viola was his daughter! It was up to him to make decisions on her behalf! She was still a teenager and as her father it was well within his rights!

He was building himself up to an explosive display of anger, when Marcus beat him to the punch.

" _ **Enough!**_ Viola, teleport us to the door we need _**now**_."

Viola nodded and a feeling of slight disorientation later, Paul and the rest of the team found themselves at the landing atop of the stairwell.

" **Before you go, one last warning Mister Smith."** The Duke said, even as the team moved towards the door out of his domain. " **If you continue down the route you're taking, death will be a mercy. This I can tell you from personal experience."**

"Well, I won't repeat your fate." Paul shot back dismissively as he followed the team out of the stairwell.

He was met with mocking laughter in reply.

* * *

The team found themselves in a hall of mirrors with a single door at the far side. It was deceptively long though, they had been walking for a good ten minutes without seeming to make any progress.

All the while, the Duke's words rang in Paul's head. Was the tortured creature right? Was he making a mistake denying Viola her heritage? Her nature?

_No! I'm doing the right thing! Better a human than one of_ them _!_ Paul reaffirmed even as he suppressed the shiver that went down his spine as he recalled Viola's other parent.

"Finally here I see."

The team jumped at the sudden voice and searched for its source, only to find a lone black tomcat sitting just ahead, glaring at them with its golden eyes.

At spotting the animal, Taana immediately offered it a low bow. An action that sent alarm bells ringing in Paul's mind.

Not that the beast seemed to pay the elfish woman any mind.

Instead it just continued to glare at them.

No, not them. _Him_. The cat's ire was focused solely on Paul and no one else.

"You disgust me, you know?" The cat said as it stood up. "You lied to your daughter her whole life. Even now when your deception has fallen apart and everything is blatantly obvious, you're refusing to admit the truth."

"I'm not going to stand here and be admonished by a mere animal." Paul shot back defiantly.

"Idiot." Taana muttered as she palmed her face in exasperation.

It seemed like Paul's insult had hit a nerve though, as he intended, for the cat's glare grew even more heated.

"Viola," Marcus asked, seemingly finding his voice at last. "Who the hell is this cat?"

"I'm not sure." The teenager admitted. "All I know is that he's basically Ellen's second-in-command."

"So defeating it will show the Outsider that we mean business?" Paul asked with a smirk.

_Where is all this recklessness coming from!? This isn't like me. Wait, is the House…_

Unaware of his plight, or likely uncaring, Taana just shook her head. "Yeah, he's a total idiot."

Paul tried to fight the urge, but the House had stirred up every ounce of anger he'd ever felt at his lot in life and it was too much. He was completely unable to resist as he threw a fireball at the cat and summoned a pack of hellhounds to tear it apart.

The cat was a Outsider's favored servant! And he wanted nothing more than to make its master feel the pain its kind had caused him over the years.

It seemed the cat was spoiling for a fight as well, as with a smirk it caused the mirrors along the walls to rearrange themselves.

Startled, Paul spun around to observe his changed surroundings. He found that the mirrors had moved to seal the cat and him in their own little arena, cut off from the rest of his team. He somehow saw the others through the reflections of the mirrors behind him. They were beyond a wall of glass looking worried and attacking the mirrors separating them.

He felt his connection to his summons abruptly be cut, and warily turned back around to see why.

He was greeted with the sight of the cat standing there unruffled, waiting patiently for his next move.

Paul briefly considered summoning one of his contracted demons to attack the cat, but realized the futility of it.

His unnatural anger had left him the moment the mirrors had shifted. Now all that was left was a sense of emptiness and resignation.

He was going to die here.

"Giving up already?" The cat asked with a sneer.

"I know I have no chance against you." The summoner said with a shrug.

"Don't you have the balls to at least put up a fight?" The unnatural feline growled.

"I'm always been a coward and a pushover." Paul admitted.

"You're pathetic!" The creature said as its tail expanded unnaturally and pierced Paul like a lance.

The man grabbed at the thing impaling him even as the cat used it to lift him off the ground and slam him into one of the sides of their mirror-lined arena, tearing a pained scream from him in the process.

"Fight back!" The cat demanded as he pulled his tail back, allowing Paul to slide down the wall into a battered heap.

"W-Why should I?" Paul forced out through the pain of what must have been broken ribs. "Why give you the s-satisfaction?"

The cat stilled at his declaration, before chuckling.

"I see now," the cat said sounding amused. "I see what caught the attention of Avis Papillion. That said, I still find you pathetic."

With his judgement passed, the cat shot its tail at Paul once more. This time instead of impaling him, it merely wrapped itself around him in a crushing grip and proceeded to repeatedly slam him into the walls and floors of the arena. Each impact causing him to cry out in agony.

The summoner had never been much of a fighter, and would normally not have been able to survive such brutal treatment for so long, much less remain conscious through it. However, the cat or maybe the House wasn't willing to allow him the ability to escape his torment through unconsciousness.

This lasted for what might have been an eternity before the cat finally tired of torturing him and let Paul go.

"I guess that's good enough." The cat said, sounding disappointed. "But before I go I think I owe you a parting gift. A little something that will make you a bit more honest."

Paul watched through barely-open eyes as the cat was surrounded by a pitch black aura for a moment that flew to engulf him. The feline walked towards him, causing Paul to painfully flinch back, and inspected its handiwork.

Apparently satisfied with whatever spell it had cast on him, the creature proceeded to teleport away.

As it disappeared the mirrors began to return to their normal positions. The moment an opening allowed them to, the team rushed to his side.

Viola, looking horrified, collapsed to her knees next to him and began trying to work her temporal magic in an attempt to heal him.

"It's not working," his daughter cried out hysterically, confirming what he already knew.

He was dying, and nothing anyone could do would change that.

Despite this, he felt an unnatural urge to talk. He tried to fight the compulsion, to once more defy the Outsiders in his own cowardly way, but found himself too weak to do so.

"You were all right," Paul said clearly despite his injuries. Apparently the cat had wanted to avoid the possibility of them mishearing his words and had healed him just enough to avoid his injuries affecting his speech. "Denial is pointless, especially now that I'm dying."

"Dad, what-"

"Shush, Viola. Let me talk." Paul said, trying and failing to offer her a smile. "This is my last gift to you, so please let me finish and don't interrupt. The rest of you too. Give a dying man this, please?"

Both Marcus and Taana nodded.

Viola was more reluctant but eventually after wiping some tears from her eyes, she too nodded.

Satisfied, or at least compelled by the cat's curse to be, Paul began his confession.

"Viola, you see when I was a foolish young man, I experimented with summoning an Outsider and succeeded. Unfortunately, I had bit off far more than I could chew. She was something that I could not barter with, much less control. I had intended to use her to become great, but she turned the tables on me and used me instead."

Viola gasped in horror.

Paul shuddered as the retelling of the events brought back the memories of the monstrous, evershifting mass of birds, butterflies and other flying creatures that was Viola's mother and how it had its way with him.

"The result of which was you, my dear."

His daughter nodded in understanding, tears flowing down her face like twin rivers.

With his confession complete, the cat's spell weakened and Paul was finally able to gather the strength of will to snap his mouth shut. He could sense the spell wanting him to continue. To have him reveal to his daughter how her monstrous mother had returned time and time again, using him as her plaything each time.

About how she made him her slave.

But he was humiliated enough already. He couldn't bear revealing to Viola how he hadn't just been raped once but been made a sex slave by her mother for years and years.

" _If you're not going to play along,"_ the cat's voice echoed in his mind with a teasing lilt. " _Then you shouldn't play at all."_

Before Paul could even think of what the creature meant, his world went red and he knew no more.

* * *

**And done!**

**This was a tough chapter to write. Paul is a really annoying character to write.**

**AllForFire: Yeah, no kidding, I was facepalming along with everyone the whole way through.**

**On one hand, his fear and hatred of Outsiders is understandable considering the backstory I gave him. On the other, taking this out on his daughter is reprehensible even if sadly an all too common occurrence in such situations. Of course, the House/Black Cat manipulating him to get him to lash out doesn't help things.**

**Overall though, I think I did a decent job of handling him and this chapter but let me know what you guys think.**

**AllForFire: Well, I personally think it was great. I wouldn't entirely call him a hate sink, but neither is he a blameless victim. Thus, balance has been achieved.~^^**

**Well, till next time, peace out!**


	23. Birth of the House

**Disclaimer: I don't own Witch's House or any of the IPs from which my imported characters originate.**

**Why Cute Witches Should Deal With Outsiders (And Their Lairs)**

**Chapter 22: Birth of the House**

**Beta: AllForFire**

* * *

Ellen, now all of twelve years old, was hiding in the library late at night as was her wont, to practice her magic. Tonight her task as assigned by her ever watchful mentor, Black Cat, was to practice her summoning by calling upon will-o'-the-wisps.

She'd chosen the fae creatures because they were fairly difficult to summon, as fae in general were, but were harmless. So even if she messed up and summoned a whole bunch of the creatures, but somehow failed to bind them to her will, they wouldn't run amuck.

Thankfully, her precaution had proven unnecessary. Her summoning and binding skills had proven up to the task and she was now surrounded by scores of the glowing balls of living magic as she spun around the library in a celebratory dance.

She was just starting to really enjoy herself when Cat suddenly stiffened.

"Dismiss the wisps." He ordered. "Quickly."

Ellen startled. "What's-"

"Hurry!"

Sensing his urgency, the girl hastened to obey but she was only midway through mentally formulating the dismissal cantrip when her thoughts ground to a sudden halt.

"Ellen!" Her father's furious voice resounded through the library.

Turning towards the doors into the library, she sees her father and stepmother standing there glaring at her.

"F-Father, S-Stepmother." Ellen sputtered out a greeting in her shock at being discovered.

Her parents ignored it. Without a word, her father strode towards her.

He looked so angry that the girl backed away from him fearfully. Not that it did her any good. He reached out and roughly grabbed hold of her arm and began dragging her out of the library.

"Father, stop! You're hurting me!" Ellen cried as she struggled against her father's painful vise grip.

"I haven't even _begun_ to hurt you." The duke said ominously, ignoring his daughter's horror at the threat, her increasingly desperate cries of pain and pleas for mercy.

* * *

A few nights after her fateful discovery by her parents in the library, Ellen found herself dressed in only her underthings and cowering in a corner of the cellar.

She was cold, hungry and the pain from the wounds on her back from her father's switch combined to make it impossible to rest.

Thankfully, she had not been abandoned by all. As evidence by how Tiffany was helping her to eat some of the food she'd snuck down from the kitchens.

It was some of the simple porridge that the servants often ate, especially when they were in a rush. But for Ellen who had been deprived of food and even drink for days, this was like manna from heaven.

"Eat slowly, milady," Tiffany said as she helped steady Ellen's shaking hands around the spoon. "You'll not be able to stomach it if you gulp it all down too quickly."

Ellen nodded sheepishly and slowed down. It was difficult though, she was just so very hungry.

Unfortunately for her, her meal was soon interrupted.

"The Master is coming!" Monica ran over from where she'd been keeping watch up in the kitchens and said in a frightened whisper.

Tiffany winced and looked worriedly at Ellen. Just from the pained look in her friend's eyes, the girl knew she must look awful.

But despite that she pushed the bowl of porridge back towards the older girl.

"G-go," Ellen urged.

She didn't want her friends to get in trouble. Not for her sake.

Tiffany looked conflicted but eventually nodded. With help from Monica, she gathered up the lamp, porridge and utensils.

"Our deepest apologies milady." Tiffany said with a deep bow that Monica mimicked. "We promise we'll be back once the coast is clear. Until then-"

"I-I'll endure. Now g-go."

The two maids offered one last respectful bow before running off.

As the two humans disappeared up the stairs back up to the pantry, Black Cat appeared from out of the darkness.

"You know this can all end in an instant, don't you my sweet Ellen? All you would have to do is give up your humanity and embrace your true nature."

"B-But I-I don't know how." The girl confessed.

"You will soon," the Cat hissed as he disappeared into the shadows.

He had barely been gone for a moment before the duke arrived flanked by a pair of servants, one of which was holding a lamp.

"Restrain her," the duke ordered, and the empty-handed servant walked forward.

Ellen tried to run from him but was too weak to do more than stumble away. Her lackluster attempt seemed to amuse the footman, a sadistic little smile spreading across his face even as he easily grabbed her and dragged her to present to his employer.

"Girl," the duke spat, as if he addressing filth instead of his only child. "Are you ready to denounce your witchcraft?"

"I'd rather die," Ellen told the man who had sired her with a defiant glare.

"I'd thought you would say that," the abusive waste of space that was Ellen's father said as he held out his hand and one of his flunkies handed him his switch.

With a evil smirk, the man snapped the rod against the small band of bare skin between her drawers and chemise.

Ellen hissed in pain.

"And now?"

"My magic is the best thing in my life. I won't give it up. Ever."

The duke hit her again and despite hissing in pain, Ellen continued to glare defiantly at her father. She remained intransigent even as he began striking her again and again.

Ellen endured the pain as stoically as she could, but even with her magic and determination, she still only had the body of a little girl.

As such, she was soon screaming and writhing in pain as her father continued to torture her.

He had gotten so into causing her pain that he had stopped bothering even asking her to recant her magic and was now solely focused on hurting her.

As she twisted and squirmed in the hold of the servant however, her eyes caught sight of the Black Cat's golden gaze staring out of the darkness at her.

" _Are you ready to unleash your true self?"_ Its voice echoed in the depths of her mind.

" _Tell me how,"_ Ellen thought back through the pain.

The girl couldn't see it, but she _felt_ her mentor smile as he replied, " _Sharpen your defiance. Your hate. Think of them as clay and shape them into a lance."_

Ellen screamed as her father, an inhuman look of perverse glee on his face, pulled down her drawers and, without any hesitation whatsoever, snapped his switch painfully against her womanly parts. Not once, not twice but over and over again.

The pain was unimaginable. But that only served as more fuel for Ellen as she did as her mentor instructed, imagining her pain, humiliation, anger, hate. Every single one of the terrible feelings that surged through her during that moment, and in her mind's eyes she forged them into a single mighty lance of raw emotion.

" _You're doing well,"_ Black Cat encouraged even as he growled in anger at Ellen's treatment. " _Now picture your mortal, human, shell."_

Ellen obeyed, conjuring in her mind's eyes how she must look now. A little girl, beaten, starved and exposed. A pathetic creature subject to the whims of people stronger than her.

" _Use your lance and pierce the image. Use it to shatter your mortal shell."_

The little girl didn't hesitate, sending her imagined lance of emotion flying into the mental image of her humanity.

The impact was...anticlimactic.

The moment the lance touched the frail creature that was her mortality, the pitiable thing burst like a popped balloon.

The instant that _followed_ was something that words could not fully describe.

It was a mere second, yet an eternity. In that eternal instant, Ellen's vision was consumed by a huge volume of new sensations, even as an equally large amount of knowledge surged into her mind. She was not overwhelmed though, in this timeless moment, she had all the time in Creation to allow her newly and vastly expanded mind to acclimate to her new senses, to sort through her new library of knowledge.

In particular, how her home had suddenly become part of her very being.

In spite of how utterly mind breaking and fantastical all this would have been to her when she'd been human, none of this truly caught the attention of the newborn Outsider. That honor instead went to the enchanting vision of a beautiful blonde, whose green eyes were smiling at her lovingly. It was this image of her future that kept Ellen sane through her apotheosis.

* * *

**And there you have it folks, the birth of the Witch's House.**

**Now you might be wondering what the hell possessed the Duke to behave like a madman in this chapter when he was punishing Ellen? Well, there's a reason he was drawing parallels to Paul in the previous chapter. Black Cat might be a loving mother to Ellen by Outsider standards but he's not above hurting her, even if he doesn't like it, in order to ultimately help her. What do I mean by all this? Well, simple, Black Cat manipulated the Duke into going overboard.**

**AllForFire: Man, no wonder people say cats can be mean.^^'X)**

**Outsiders are not human. That's what I'm trying to conveying by showing this.**

**AllForFire: Eeeyup, loud and clear indeed.**

**Anyways, till next time, peace out.**


	24. The Waiting Room of Dreams

**Disclaimer: I don't own Witch's House or any of the IPs from which my imported characters originate.**

**Why Cute Witches Should Deal With Outsiders (And Their Lairs)**

**Chapter 23: The Waiting Room of Dreams**

**Beta: AllForFire**

* * *

Viola could only watch as her father died before her eyes, her best attempts to save him proving utterly futile.

The sight left her with mixed emotions.

On one hand, she was definitely upset that he was dead. On the other hand, she felt her father had always been somewhat of a restraining influence on her life. At once neglectful to her needs and yet overly strict. As such, she could not help but feel just a tad pleased that he wouldn't be around to try and control her anymore. This, of course, just made her feel even worse.

It was thus with a deeply conflicted heart that she leaned over his crumpled form, and closed his eyes.

"Ellen, take care of his body for me please." The reality mage whispered under her breath.

She felt her friend's agreement in her mind as she stood and turned to face her remaining comrades, her father's body disappearing in a purple flash behind her.

"We need to finish this," Viola told them, even as she herself wasn't sure how exactly she wanted this to end. With Ellen's defeat? Or with her passing whatever trail this trek through the House had been and becoming Ellen's mate?

She felt her cheeks burning at the latter idea, but smothered _that_ jumbled bag of confused emotions. She had enough trouble coping with her father's death as is, she didn't need to add in her worries about her relationship with Ellen into the mix.

_Though I won't have the luxury of putting them off for much longer._

"You're sure you're up for that?" Marcus asked eying her suspiciously, clearly having an inkling of the direction her thoughts had taken.

"Yeah," Viola admitted tiredly.

"You'll manage." Taana reassured her while giving her shoulder a encouraging squeeze. "You're strong."

Viola didn't feel strong. She just feels tired, conflicted and filled with a desire to just finish this challenge Ellen had set up for her, whatever the conclusion will be.

Marcus looked at her searchingly for a moment before nodding and began walking towards the exit, Viola and Taana following his lead. They cautiously opened the door onto a truly fantastical scene. Beyond it was a seemingly endless white space littered with fantastical objects floating in the emptiness.

"Viola?" Marcus asked questioningly, blinking in disbelief.

"This is the Waiting Room of Dreams," Viola informed him as she took a step into the white void. "It's an entryway from the House to the Realm between Realms and through them to other Realms, other universes."

"You sound like you're saying the House is its own universe."

"In a way, it is." Viola told the man distractedly, more interested in the way Taana was scanning their surroundings intensely.

The teenager was startled when the demihuman suddenly gasped in delight and started waving enthusiastically at something in the distance. Viola and Marcus turned to see what had gotten her attention, only to a strange creature flying towards them. It was a massive draconic creature made out of a translucent substance and with a squid-like face. On its back, Viola could just make out a small group of figures.

"That's my family," Taana told the two happily as she spun to face them. "They're here to pick me up. I'm sorry but I need to take my leave now."

Marcus just grunted in resignation.

"Do you really need to leave now?" Viola asked, genuinely sad to see her go.

"I'm sorry, but yes." Taana confirmed with an apologetic nod. "I've completed my mission in the House. I've got the books Lord Ainz sent me here to borrow and now I've gotta leave before I overstay my welcome."

Viola nodded in understanding.

"Thanks for all your help."

"Don't mention it, Miss Viola. I didn't really do much beyond being a tag-along."

Marcus rolled his eyes at that.

"Get going already," the soldier said gruffly while gesturing towards the dragon and its riders in the distance. "Your family's waiting."

Offering one final wave goodbye, Taana took a step into the white expanse and vanished. Viola quickly looked towards the dragon which was already banking away from them and spotted a new figure on its back that matched Taana's build waving at them. Viola waved back and even Marcus offered a salute as the dragon vanished into the endless space.

They stood there for a moment watching as their comrade returned home, before Marcus finally turned to the young woman expectantly.

"How do we move around here? I take it that it's not as simple as just walking."

"It is actually," Viola corrected. "Though we'll need to think about where we want to go every time we take a step. If we do that, we'll steadily move towards our goal."

"Then let's-" Marcus began only to tense as a pair of figures suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

The figure to the left was a tall woman with long black hair, a small, white flower-shaped hairpin on the left side, dressed in a long black off-the-shoulder mermaid dress. Her most noticeable feature however, was that she only had one visible blue eye, her right eye being covered by a plain black eyepatch, which utterly failed to hide the sheer _power_ radiating from whatever lay beneath.

Her companion didn't radiate quite as much power, but what did leak out was still unsettling. She was a petite blonde-haired woman with blue eyes. She was dressed in a black sailor top, a pleated skirt, black pantyhose, a pair of pumps and a black-colored beret.

"Oh great! Just our luck, more trouble." Marcus cursed under his breath as he readied himself for battle. Viola did likewise, even as she felt genuine fear at the prospect of fighting these women.

The brunette just chuckled at Marcus' expense before offering them a pleasant smile.

"Greetings, I'm Azathoth, the Atomic Sultan, Dreamer of Worlds-"

"The Primodial Old One?" Marcus gasped.

"I have been called that," Azathoth admitted.

"What are you doing here?"

The Primordial Old One just looked at the man strangely. "Why wouldn't I be? I'm part of the Sapphic Circle, and like Midori would like to intervene to help our friend Ellen."

Marcus shook his head in confusion, though Viola didn't understand why.

"Why is everyone here so dense!?" The unnamed blonde cut in, sounding exasperated. "The human is confused because he doesn't realize Outsiders and Primordial Old Ones are the same thing. They're both anthropomorphic, for a lack of a better word, personifications of universes."

The soldier shot his remaining teammate a look begging her to prove them wrong, one mixed with shock and fear. Viola felt apologetic that she could only nod in agreement with her fellow blonde's words.

"Okay, now that all that's cleared up, it's time for me to introduce myself." The beret wearing woman said with a courtly bow. "The name's Frenda Seivelun, Azathoth's Reaper-"

"-Herald and Consort." Marcus finished for her in a fearful whisper.

The woman pouted at being interrupted but nevertheless nodded.

Viola hastily bowed to the two Outsiders.

"It's an honor to meet you two." Viola told them sincerely. "I'm happy to have this chance to meet Ellen's friends."

The two Outsiders exchanged a look upon receiving Viola's greeting.

"At least she's polite?" Frenda said with a shrug.

_At least I'm polite? What kind of thing is that to say?_ Viola thought to herself, oddly indignant for the judgemental way Ellen's friends were talking about her.

Azathoth nodded to her lover before turning to Viola.

"We _are_ here to judge you." The brunette said, ignoring how her words elicited a startled gasp from the reality mage. "And you really need to learn how to shield your mind."

"Right," Viola replied uncertainly. "So, um, how are you going to, uh, judge me?"

"I hate having to play along with this," Marcus hissed irritably. Viola could commiserate. Even she was getting fed up with the obstacles that Ellen had seen fit to throw in their path.

The Outsiders thankfully decided to ignore him. With a look at Azathoth, Frenda took a step towards the teammates. As she did, she held her right hand to her side where in a burst of flames, a massive flaming scythe formed.

"A fight, of course." The Reaper explained as she spun her weapon in expert patterns around her body.

"Seriously?" Marcus groaned. "Do Outsiders determine the worthiness of everything through fighting?"

"Unfortunately," Azathoth said with a wry smile. "Martial strength is essential to our culture, such as it is. Thus, measuring it through battle is vital."

"Enough talking!" Frenda declared. "Match Start!"

The moment she finished speaking, a barrage of rockets shot out from under her skirt. This lifted up her skirt and for a brief moment Viola caught sight of toned thighs, before they and their owner vanished.

The sight was greatly distracting but not enough to make the teenager lose her cool. Firing off a barrage of spatial bullets to intercept the inbound missiles, she spun around and conjured a spatial blade in her hands to parry the Reaper's downward slash that threatened to bisect her.

The explosions of - what her powers told her was Hellfire - from the detonating rockets caused Viola to wince, and the other blonde used the slight weakness to hook her scythe around the girl's blade. With a harsh tug, she forced the blade to the side and fired a fireball point-blank into Viola's face.

"Viola!" The reality mage heard Marcus shout as she staggered back from the blast, her temporal healing already almost done repairing the damage she'd just sustained.

Though his cry was largely drowned out by the sound of screaming rocket engines, which caused Viola to look up and see another incoming barrage of Frenda's rockets. This caused her to tense and ready herself for if the other blonde decided to teleport in close again, but she was just standing a few feet away looking bored.

Even as she fired off a brace of intercepting spatial bullets, the young woman growled at being dismissed by her opponent so easily. She nevertheless kept her cool, even as the rockets exploded overhead, she took the breather offered to gauge the situation.

Frenda was solely focused on her, which was good. She doubted Marcus would last more than a minute if the Outsider turned her attention towards him.

This sentiment seemed to be shared by Azathoth, who was keeping him from intervening by conjuring a horde of monstrous slimes to keep him occupied. They were the size of small cars and their ever-changing, constantly writhing bodies were covered in eyes and mouths filled with jagged, misshapen razor-sharp teeth that moved across their mass, bubbling in and out of existence on the creatures' monstrous flesh.

Despite their intimidating visage though, they proved well within Marcus' ability to fend off, as he tore them apart one by one with his enchanted bullets. Though they still served their purpose, acting as a living grotesque wall that kept him away. All this while Azathoth just stood back and watched everything play out.

_I'm honestly a little amazed he's managing to not get killed._ Viola thought even as she primed her powers for her counterattack. _Though for all that, he's still not in position to help me. I have to do this alone._

"Still not coming?" Frenda asked at last, faking a yawn. "If so-"

Viola didn't let her finish, teleporting in while her fellow blonde was still mid-sentence to lash out with a thrust towards her heart from the back. All this earned her was another front row seat to a Hellfire explosion as Frenda teleported away in a burst of the accursed flame.

"Better, much better." Frenda said with a laugh as she rematerialized. "Now that your head is in the game, let's start the question time!"

_The what?_ Viola thought even as, still healing from her latest burns with her temporal magic, she spun to parry a wide swing of her opponent's scythe. Remembering the last time, the teenager immediately teleported away before Frenda could hit her with a stream of more Hellfire.

"So first up," Frenda said, unperturbed as Viola rematerialized to her right and stabbed at her kidney.

Smirking, the woman in a sailor top teleported away, once more unleashing a burst of her dark flames as she did so. Viola was ready for this however and had covered herself in a protective aura of twisted space, though she greatly underestimated the power of the beret-wearing blonde's flames and they easily burned through the thinner areas of her armor.

"Why are you in the House?" Frenda asked from right next to Viola's ear, her scythe poised to decapitate the teenager.

Viola did not have the time to question how she'd managed to teleport so close without her noticing, instead she just used time acceleration to aid her in a desperate teleportation of her own to get away.

As she appeared a short distance away, she noticed that Frenda had once again chosen to not press the attack and was just standing there waiting for her. Or more specifically, Viola realized, her answer.

But Viola had no real answer to give her. She was still conflicted over whether she wanted to be with Ellen like her heart tells her to, or kill her like her mission and morality demands. She wanted Ellen, that much she could admit. She was the person she loved most in all the worlds.

Yet…

That same woman she adored was a murderer many, many times over. Just these past few hours alone, Ellen had been responsible for the death of most of her team. Including her father! And then there was all the terror her House left in its wake whenever it manifested in the world via all the monsters and supernatural phenomenon it created. And didn't Viola owe it to her departed teammates to see this mission through to the end? To accomplish what they'd come here to do? Didn't she owe it to Marcus, who was fighting so hard just a short distance away in a bid to come aid her, despite knowing full well he was hopelessly out of his league?

"You're conflicted? Seriously?" Frenda said with a facepalm, clearing reading her mind.

"I can't help it." Viola replied even as she teleported in close to engage the other blonde once more. Having conjured a second spatial blade in her free hand, she launched into a flurry of thrusts and stabs that her opponent evaded with ease and grace.

"Okay, let me tell you a story, just to help you make up your mind." Frenda said with a sigh as she lashed out at Viola unexpectedly with a kick that sent the teenager flying.

Launching another barrage of rockets, the Reaper started recounting her story even as Viola barely had the ability to listen. She was a little too preoccupied with not getting blown to bits by literal Hellfire missiles.

"Your little trek through this House? And the way the House has been searching for you across time and space? That's _nothing_ compared to what my darling did for love." Frenda said as she and Viola fell into another dance of blades as the reality mage finished evading or intercepting the Outsider's missiles and teleported close once more.

"Azathoth once spent eons just trying to give her first love a chance at happiness." Frenda revealed as she sent Viola flying away from her for a second time, this time by punching her with a Hellfire-enshrouded fist.

"I created and destroyed innumerable worlds to give him that chance," Azathoth chimed in, sounding wistful. "All so he could maybe fall in love with an analogue of my former human self."

"That's-" Viola gasped out, the pain of her wounds only partially the cause.

Viola had no words to describe her shock at that level of devotion. Going through all that trouble for someone, and not even enjoying the fruits of the labor, but allowing another, even if it was another version of yourself, to do so instead?

All for the happiness of someone else. To the teenager that was love on a level she didn't honestly believe was possible.

"Yeah, so compared to that, all your worries seem a little insignificant no?"

Viola could only nod at Frenda's question. It was undeniably true, after all.

"Taking that into account, do you still not know what you want?"

The teenager took a deep breath before shouting out her answer, " **I WANT TO SEE ELLEN!"**

The Reaper smiled at that before leveling her scythe challengingly in Viola's direction.

"You'll need to prove yourself by defeating me first!" The beret-wearing blonde said in the most overacted villainous voice that Viola had ever heard.

Not that it made what she'd said any less true though. Viola did indeed need to defeat her to get what she wanted. Thus it was then that Viola let go of all her hesitation, the last thing that truly kept her human, and embraced her true self. In that instance, she finished a transformation that she'd only barely begun before aborting in the Kitchen.

Her perception expanded immeasurably, till it encompassed all of time and all of space. Her being growing into a state that transcended the ability of language to fully communicate. All whilst her physical form transformed into a jumbled mass of paper thin strips of space-time.

In that instant, Viola Smith ceased to be human. In that instant, Viola Smith, the Outsider was truly born.

Frenda smiled at the sight of her new kin's birth. But this joy created precisely the distraction that Viola was looking for. Teleporting herself around the Reaper, she proceeded to wrap the mass of tendrils that was her body around the other Outsider and cinched them in as tight a squeeze as she could manage.

"Ow ow OW! Paper cuts, paper cuts!" Frenda yelped.

"Careful." Azathoth said with a teasing smirk. "If she inflicts a thousand on you, you might die."

"YOU ARE _NOT_ HELPING!" The restrained blonde shouted back to her spouse.

"Sorry," Azathoth said, giggling at her lover's misfortune. "Well, at least we're done here. You can stand down, Frenda."

Viola heaved a sigh of relief at this. Even if she did have the other Outsider within her coils she could still sense the other woman had plenty of fight still in her, and had _not_ been looking forward to dragging the battle on any longer. Despite this, she was nevertheless still surprised when suddenly Frenda just disappeared from within her hold and reappeared next to her wife.

_How? I locked down space time…_ Viola boggled as she returned to her human form. _Was she really holding back_ that _much that even in my Outsider form I can't beat her?_

"Don't take it too hard," Frenda said reassuringly. "I'm a fighter. You're more of a trap maker/caster type. I'm just a bad matchup for you is all. Well that, and I have tons more experience than you. You'll get better. Trust me."

"Frenda's right," Azathoth told her with a kind smile. "Besides, you'll have Ellen to help you along soon enough."

Frenda nodded enthusiastically at that.

"Thank you," Viola told them sincerely. "For helping me figure out what I really wanted."

"Just doing our duty as friends is all."

Azathoth nodded and turned to leave.

"Viola, I'm glad that you and Ellen will find happiness soon." The Atomic Sultan said over her shoulder as she began to walk away.

_I wouldn't be so sure,_ Viola thought as her cheeks dusted pink. _All I know is I want to see Ellen, not what I'll do after that._

"Don't worry so much, you'll figure it out once you get there." Frenda told Viola with a knowing smirk and a wave goodbye before rushing to follow Azathoth.

The newborn Outsider watched from a distance as Frenda caught up to her spouse and wrapped herself around one of the taller woman's arms and rested her head on her shoulder. It was in this romantic pose that the two Outsiders disappeared from view.

With her fellow Outsiders having departed, Viola turned to check on Marcus. He was still surrounded by Azathoth's slimes, who were now circling a visibly exhausted and wounded Marcus predatorily.

Sighing at the human's inability to handle something as simple as a pack of Shoggoths, Viola snapped her fingers and reduced the monsters to their constituent atoms and dispersed them into the emptiness of the Realm between Realms.

"Thanks for the save," the soldier said as he all but collapsed. "Damn, I can't believe I'd miss the House messing with me but I could really do with that infinite stamina it was doling out."

Viola rolled her eyes and with a thought restored the man's vitality while simultaneously healing his wounds.

"Thanks again," the black man said as he got back to his feet.

"Let's just get moving," Viola said irritably. "I want to see Ellen."

"Yeah, I heard you the first time." The human snarked.

Viola almost turned to glare at the insignificant worm.

_How dare he speak to her about her relationship with Ellen like that? Or to her at all? She was an Outsider! A god among gods! A living universe! He was just a low-_

Viola caught herself mid-motion and mid-thought.

_What brought that on? Is it my apotheosis? Do all Outsiders think like this? If so, I have to watch myself._ Worried about the new, unfamiliar thoughts that had appeared earlier, Viola just offered Marcus a distracted nod.

"Follow me," she told the hu- no, team leader as she took a step forward.

Space wrapped around them, though for once this journey had nothing to do with Viola but rather the nature of the Waiting Room of Dreams. In one instance to the next, they traversed an immense distance that the minds of humans would not even be able to truly comprehend, and arrived at the door to Ellen's room.

"This girlfriend of yours is paranoid, you know that?" Marcus said after he'd finishing muttering a string of curses at seeing what was guarding the door.

It was a large beast with seven necks, ten horns and was well over twenty meters long. Its features were however in a constant chaotic flux, shifting between characteristics that seemed to come from every animal under the sun such as lions, wolves, bears, even dragons and everything in between.

It eyed both of them warily but made no move to do anything else. Well, at least not after at first greeting Viola with enthusiastic barks and roars.

"That's just the Guardian, Ellen's pet." Viola pointed out, honestly confused by Marcus' reaction. "What's so terrifying about it?"

"Well, let me ask you this: is it friendly?"

"Normally, yes." Viola replied, finally getting where it was going. "But it's absolutely devoted to Ellen and if she's ordered it to stand in our way as part of this crazy courting ritual she's set up then it'll do its utmost to fulfill its duty."

As if in agreement, the creature began barking, chirping, howling and roaring from its many heads while gesturing to Marcus.

_Is it insinuating what I think it is?_ Viola blinked in shock. _Well, at least it will save me some time. And Ellen won't be upset with me for hurting Guardy._

Deciding that there was nothing truly lost if she gambled on her hunch, she sent Marcus one last apologetic look, before nodding towards the Guardian.

In the blink of an eye, the Guardian was upon Marcus. The poor soldier didn't even have the time to scream, much less raise his gun before he was torn limb from limb by the many, many maws of Ellen's pet.

Viola winced at the display and felt just a tinge of remorse, but it was a distant thing. Almost like it was an echo created because she believed that was how she should feel.

Wait… That was _exactly_ the case.

The new Outsider winced, genuinely this time, at this revelation.

_Is being an Outsider really this inhuman? I think I know why we Outsiders fear Ainz Ooal Gown now._

She would need to ponder this in more detail later. And probably spend some time squaring away the remnants of humanity with her new condition. But right now she had something far more important to do.

Walking past the Guardian who was now happily enjoying its latest meal, Viola reached out a hand and gave the monster an affectionate pat. She was rewarded by a pleased purr that brought a smile to her face.

Still smiling, she opened the door to Ellen's room, and to her destiny.

* * *

**Done!**

**Wow! The fight with the Reaper was fun as hell to write. I hope it turned out well because of that. Now I had originally planned out a fight against the Guardian too then I realized… Viola's a fully awakened Outsider by this point, so there's really nothing but another Outsider that could really pose a challenge, so I went a different route instead.**

**AllForFire: Yup. Plus, narratively and structurally speaking, it just works better.**

**As you can see that route was to play up how the apotheosis has changed the blonde reality mage. Just to point out here, it's not that Outsiders are unable to feel human. They can, when with other beings relatively similar to themselves and/or is particularly important to them. Otherwise… well, they innately feel a sense of, fully deserved, superiority over the ants and well… They find it incredibly difficult to connect. Hence why Viola essentially just sacrificed Marcus just to save herself some time and not piss off the girl she intends to shag by killing, even if only temporarily, her pet.**

**AllForFire: Yup. Sadly, Gals Before Pals in this case.^^'X)**

**I would also like to take this opportunity to give a shout out to my fellow fanfic author Kyle Castorena whose works** _ **Never the Twain Shall Meet**_ **and** _ **Echo of a Lost World**_ **inspired my version of Azathoth and her Reaper. I have his approval to use them and spelled out my modifications to the setup in his works to him when requesting for such. Just to point out, none of what I came up with contradicts his work, but nevertheless this is decidedly not canon for his verse. For those who are curious, their backstory is as follows:**

**Essentially Azathoth is the Saten Ruiko in** _ **Never the Twain Shall Meet**_ **but not the one in** _ **Echo of a Lost World**_ **. What do I mean? Well, instead the Saten of** _ **Echo of a Lost World**_ **is a creation of the original Saten, one of many. You see, when the world was destroyed at the end of** _ **Never the Twain Shall Meet**_ **, the original instead ended up becoming an Outsider by virtue of her death translating into the death of her world. This immensely symbolic event equated to a grand ritual that succeeded in creating an Outsider. What follows is that Azathoth then dreamed into being all the worlds hinted at in Chapter 37 of** _ **Echo of a Lost World**_ **with all those various versions of Saten that appear. This was so as to create the scenario that Kyle Castorena showed in that particular chapter so that she could give Touma, her first love, a chance at happiness with some version of herself. Azathoth would then move on to other things, among which is saving her Frenda from a version of hell and taking her on as her consort, making her an Outsider too in the process by feeding her that hell dimension as the fuel for the girl's apotheosis.**

**Long, involved and convoluted backstory, no? Yeah… I tend to create these and then find it hard to have it show up in-story in a meaningful way. So this time I didn't even try! Hah!**

**AllForFire: Sounds like me.^^'XD**

**Just to preempt anyone who might ask me to write Azathoth's story, the answer will be no. I don't really want to tarnish Kyle Castorena's work by adding on my own wishful imaginings of a continuation. His two fics are some of the few decent Saten fics out there and I don't want to detract from them in any way.**

**Alright, that's it for this ridiculously long AN. Till next time, peace out.**


	25. Falling in love with a dream

**Disclaimer: I don't own Witch's House or any of the IPs from which my imported characters originate.**

**Why Cute Witches Should Deal With Outsiders (And Their Lairs)**

**Chapter 24: Falling in love with a dream**

**Beta: AllForFire**

* * *

Viola was shifting nervously in her seat as she and Ellen enjoyed a mid-morning tea on one of the many balconies of her dream-friend's mansion.

The young blonde had been thinking about Ellen a lot lately. And being here now with the aforementioned friend was bringing all those thoughts to the surface. For months now Viola had been struggling to figure out how she actually felt about her friend.

Ellen was basically her only friend growing up, what with her father being too engrossed in his research to entertain anything as, in his words, "plebeian", as socializing and Viola suffering a life of loneliness as a result.

At least she had Ellen.

She'd dreamed of the other girl for as long as she could remember. So much so that they had practically grown up together. Ellen's estate was as familiar to her, more so she thought sometimes, than her own dingy townhouse in Boston.

She'd told her friend every secret, including her crushing loneliness growing up without friends and her sadness at her father's neglect. And in turn, her purple haired friend had shared with her about her own abusive father and stepmother.

It was that last part that had convinced Viola that Ellen was real and not some figment of her imagination. She couldn't believe that a little girl of five could dream up something as terrible as what Ellen had shared with her at that age, even if neither of them were exactly five in that particularly memorable dream.

That was why she _had_ to be sure about what she was feeling now.

She had to make sure what was the root cause behind the constant desire to be with Ellen, the way she kept thinking of her, of wanting to feel her comforting presence and the urge to seek out her touch even as it made her heart race.

Ellen suddenly reached over the patio table and took Viola's hand.

"What's wrong?" Ellen asked, her voice full of concern.

The feel of Ellen's hand on her own sent butterflies fluttering in Viola's stomach and her heart racing. Slowly, she looked up from the table where her eyes had wandered during her brooding, greeted with a sight straight out of a fairy tale.

She'd always found Ellen pretty, but in this moment, with her mind and body hyped up by what she'd been thinking about, her friend looked absolutely divine.

She wasn't wearing anything fancy, just a cute little dress that was ruffled in the chest area and had a layered skirt. It was something that Viola had seen Ellen wear dozens of times before but which suddenly, somehow, made her friend utterly elegant, refined, and beautiful. It was complemented by the other girl letting her long, unique purple hair flow down freely down her back while only accentuated by a single large red bow.

All these only served to magnify the natural perfection of Ellen's features. In particular, her stunning golden eyes.

_Maybe I'm exaggerating._ Viola said as she fought the urge to gasp in awe at the absolute vision of Venus that was before her. _Perhaps Venus should be compared to Ellen instead._

"Viola? Are you alright?" Ellen asked, her eyes alight with worry. For her. For _Viola_.

That was something she'd _never_ seen in anyone else, not even her father!

It wasn't the first time Ellen had shown her concern for her, of course, but in this moment this realization prompted Viola to come to an even more important realization. Something profound.

_I'm in love with Ellen._ Viola thought as she got lost in the other girl's eyes.

* * *

**Done!**

**The fluff is heavy in this one isn't it? It isn't usually my forte but I gave it my best shot, so let me know what your think about it.**

**By the way, the reason Viola cites for Paul not letting her socialize with others is what** _**he** _ **told her. The truth is pretty easy to infer but I'll spell it out here just in case. Despite the fact that he is in denial and wishes it wasn't true, part of Paul knows what Viola is and doesn't want to risk her hurting other children. Yeah… He's a dick to his daughter. I thought I had established that already. XD**

**AllForFire: Yeah, pretty clearly. X)**

**Till next time, peace out.**


	26. The Master Bedorom

**Disclaimer: I don't own Witch's House or any of the IPs from which my imported characters originate.**

**Why Cute Witches Should Deal With Outsiders (And Their Lairs)**

**Chapter 25: The Master Bedo** **r** **om**

**Beta: AllForFire**

* * *

Viola stepped through the door into Ellen's bedroom, briefly catching a glimpse of the familiar large but spartanly decorated studio apartment, before she was ambushed by a purple-haired blur that pulled her into a tight hug.

"Oh! Viola!" Ellen cried ecstatically as she held the blonde tight. "You're finally really here. _Finally..._ "

Viola could understand the feeling. She had wanted to see Ellen in the flesh for years now. To finally have the chance… the mere idea brought tears to her eyes, and the reality of it happening caused those happy tears to spill from her eyes in twin waterfalls as she returned her friend's hug with all her strength.

All good things must end though. Eventually Ellen pulled back and looked at Viola with a brilliant smile. This allowed the newborn Outsider a chance to really see her friend for the first time in person, her breath hitching at the sight.

Ever since Viola had learnt to appreciate the human form, she'd always thought of Ellen as beautiful. She had the most unique and vibrant purple hair, the most perfect proportions and facial features. So much so that the younger woman had once compared her favorably to Venus herself. But tonight? Ellen completely left the goddess of beauty in the dust.

The fancy purple dress she wore not only made her look every bit the noblewoman and goddess that she was, with its elaborate accessories and train, but also hugged her perfect figure in all the right places. Just looking at Ellen dressed up like that made Viola's heart race, her palms sweaty... and her panties a little wet.

Especially because she knew that the other Outsider had dressed up so elaborately just for _her._

Ellen blushed at the positive attention Viola was giving her even as a pleased smile grew on her own face. A smile that made Viola's already elevated lust jump up a whole notch.

"Like what you see, Viola?" Ellen asked in a slightly nervous tease.

Viola could only dumbly nod, earning herself a brighter blush on her friend's face.

Sashaying towards the blonde in a seductive manner, Ellen pressed herself into the younger woman's side sending waves of heated want burning through Viola at the contact.

"Well, if you say yes then you'll get to see more of what's _underneath_ this dress too.~" Ellen breathed sultrily into Viola's ear.

A big part of Viola, the majority of it if she was being honest, wanted to say yes to Ellen's proposal right there and then.  
Unfortunately, the last part of her mind that had managed to remain rational under Ellen's oh-so-effective seduction, and the lingering remnants of her human morals, decided to gang up and shout down the rest of her.

As such it was with a hesitant, stilted motion that she gently pushed Ellen away, though she couldn't fight the whimper she made at the loss of her friend's sensual touch against her own body.

"W-What?" Ellen asked in confusion.

"I'm sorry Ellen," Viola said honestly. She _was_ sorry. Oh so sorry to not just get down to showing how much she wanted Ellen. Nevertheless, she had to have the conversation she had in mind _now_ before they went any further. "But before I reply to your proposal, I have something to ask you."

Ellen frowned but nodded.

"Was it _really_ necessary to go so far just to arrange for us to meet?" Viola asked nervously.

"You're throwing off the seduction I took months practicing for just to ask me that?" Ellen replied with a disappointed pout, her tone incredulous.

"Sorry."

"Ugh, wait! I can still salvage this." Ellen insisted. "Um, give me a moment…. Right! Do over!"

"Huh?" Viola said eloquently.

"Ask your question again!" Ellen repeated.

"Was it really necessary to go so far just to arrange for us to meet?" Viola asked by now more confused than anything else.

"It wasn't just a way to get us to meet up." Ellen replied with sensual lilt to her voice, that had Viola all worked up again.

Fighting the blush she could feel burning on her face, Viola shook her head.

"I'm not talking about _that_! We can, um, talk about that later." Viola said, deflecting her friend's attempt at changing the topic. "I'm asking about why you had to be so murderous about this whole thing?"

Ellen frowns for a moment before sighing and shrugging.

"I didn't do anything wrong," Ellen said without a hint of remorse for all the death she'd caused that night.

"You _killed_ people, including my _father_!" Viola insisted.

"I don't see why killing your father is an issue. You never liked him."

"He was still my father and I loved him!" Viola shouted, getting angry at how nonchalant Ellen was being about all this.

Her anger spiked when the purple haired woman's response was a skeptical look.

Ignoring the look and the unease it stirred in Viola's stomach, she continued to press her case. "What about all the other people you've killed over the centuries? Were their deaths unimportant too?"

"I only ever killed in self-defense when intruders trespassed onto _my_ property." Ellen countered defiantly, crossing her arms over her chest and doing wonderfully distracting things to her bosom.

With a great effort of will, Viola pulled her eyes away from the other Outsider's breasts and kept going. "Aren't I one of your trespassers this time? Are you going to kill me?"

"This time was different. _You're_ different." Ellen said firmly.

"And the others?"

"They were still common trespassers and paid the price for being such."

"Ugh!" Viola cried out in absolute frustration while throwing her arms in the air.

"You won't convince Ellen to change her mind, young one. This line of thinking is part of her very nature. Either accept it and Ellen or reject it and her. Those are your only choices." A voice said from behind Viola. "Think on that for a moment. We'll get back to it."

The blonde spun around to see the black cat which killed her father padding its way casually towards her.

Viola tensed and primed her powers, wary of the strength that her new Outsider senses told her radiated off the feline. It was staggering, even for her new state of being.

Seeing the brewing fight, Ellen opened her mouth to say something but was stopped by the cat raising a paw.

"Stay out of this Ellen," the cat said. "I'll handle this."

The look that Ellen shot the cat at this was distinctly unhappy, but she nevertheless nodded at it before leaning over to whisper into Viola's ear. "Be careful."

Her warning delivered, the purple-haired woman walked a distance away and looked on disapprovingly as the cat stepped in front of Viola and glared at the newborn Outsider in challenge.

"Don't be too rough with her," Ellen warned the cat.

It merely nodded.

_What's with this interaction? Isn't the cat one of the House's creatures, one of Ellen's minions? Why then is she talking to it like an equal or better?_

"So you've had some time to think." The cat said, recapturing Viola's attention. "So have you decided? Will you accept and stay with Ellen, agree to be by her side forever?"

Despite everything, all the death she knows that Ellen has caused and _knowing_ how that should make refusing her easy, Viola feels an unnatural urge to agree.

"Cat got your tongue?" The cat asked with an oddly human smirk at its own pun. "Maybe that's because you're still thinking mostly like a human, and that's conflicting with your nature as an Outsider. It's telling you that Ellen is your true mate, and that trumps something as petty as your human morality, but your mind still can't accept it thanks to the lingering vestiges of humanity."

"That's not all there is to it!" Viola insists.

_I would be conflicted even if I_ wasn't _an Outsider!_

Viola was sure of that! She _loved_ Ellen and would want to be with her, murderer and all, even if her new instincts weren't screaming at her that it was meant to be.

"Yes," the cat agreed with a nod. "Your love for Ellen plays a big part as well."

The blonde couldn't help the blush at having been so easily read, but had the good graces to nod.

Ellen squealed happily at this and moved to glomp Viola, but froze as the cat shot her a glare before sheepishly stepping back once more.

_Okay, that seals it. Whoever this cat is, it's not a servant. It's not a guest like Midori or a tenant like Puppetmaster either, I would wager. Hmm…. I wonder._

There was a niggling suspicion growing in her mind, one that in a burst of uncharacteristic daring, she decided to test.

_If this goes belly up I'm blaming my new Outsider recklessness!_

"Why is a mere familiar like you so concerned about your mistress? All you need to do is obey, don't you?" Viola asked, fishing for a clue to confirm her hypothesis.

Ellen tries to say something but is again stopped by a single raised paw from the cat.

"I'll have you know, young one, that I am no familiar." The creature said with a light growl at what it must have seen as an insult.

"What are you then?"

"Why don't you answer my question first," the cat deflected. "Are you or are you not going to marry Ellen?"

"I think I'll decide that based on _your_ answer." Viola shot back reflexively, before wincing. She didn't intend to make it seem like her feelings for Ellen and her decision about their relationship was in any way determined by external factors.

The cat didn't seem to have caught on to her lapse, instead it got frustrated at her dodging of the main question.

"You know what? Fine!" The cat said with an angry meow. "I'll answer your damned question, but I cannot give answers for free. So how about a deal? We fight and if you can beat me, I'll answer your question but if you lose then you'll have to marry Ellen no matter what you think. Deal?"

_Neither of those outcomes are ones I'm opposed to._ Viola noted with a smirk at having outmaneuvered the cat.

"Deal!" Viola replied eagerly, ignoring the exasperated disapproval Ellen shot both her and the cat.

The word had barely left the blonde's mouth when the cat leapt at Viola, shifting mid jump into a large black panther.

_Haste._ Viola cast on herself silently to enhance her already inhuman reflexes as she dodged the cat's lunge. Simultaneously she constructed a lance out of distorted space and stabbed.

Seconds before the lance would have torn through its flesh, the cat transformed into a streak of black lightning and evading her thrust, slammed into her like a cannonball. It reformed into a panther and raised its claws to rend her flesh, but Viola reacted quickly and teleported away.

Growling at being thwarted, the cat once more transformed into unnatural dark electricity and shot itself at her like a bullet out of a gun. The newborn Outsider responded by warping space and causing it to veer completely off course and slam into a wall. Amazingly, despite the power and speed behind the cat's attack, the wall held, even coming out the better in the collision as it remained unscathed while the cat reformed in front of it looking slightly dazed.

Viola took the opportunity for what it was and began transforming the battlefield to her advantage by warping the space more and more.

As the cat regained its bearings, it eyed the room that now looked like something out of a surrealist nightmare with annoyance. Seemingly deciding it didn't want to deal with it, it gathered together a immense amount of power that it unleashed in a powerful burst of its shadowy aura that proceeded to shatter all the warped space in a single stroke.

The blonde had expected something like this to happen however, and had taken the time her opponent had used to shatter her spatial warps to prepare a powerful spell.

As the cat's aura settled down and it looked to her challengingly, Viola unleashed her spell. Immediately, a black hole appeared directly above the cat and began pulling it in. It hissed in surprise and for a moment was forced to dig its claws into the room's floor to avoid getting sucked into the singularity. Fortunately for the creature however, it was quickly able to teleport away.

The moment it rematerialized the cat fired off a spell of its own.

" **Giga Slave!** " The cat incanted as it breathed out an immense sphere of raw destructive energy that began to sweep across the room.

" **Spellbreaker!** " Viola countered, negating the powerful spell whilst simultaneously launching a barrage of spatial lances at her opponent.

" **Photon Lancer Genocide Shift!** " The cat countered, firing out a barrage of bolts of electrical energy to intercept Viola's attack. " **Triple Maximize! Sword of Damocles!** "

Three massive energy swords shot towards Viola who countered by conjuring a black hole directly in front of her that sucked them into its event horizon.

_Why are we even fighting?_ Viola mused as she sent her the singularity flying across the room at the cat. _I wasn't that interested in the answer to my question. Yet I can't deny the thrill I'm getting out of this fight. I've never even dreamed of fighting on this level and yet here I am. Just that alone is exhilarating._

Unfazed by the incoming singularity, it merely flicked its tail at it and cast a simple **Dispel** that caused it to dissipate feet from its target. As it cleared, the cat launched another attack as with a roar of " **Prismatic Spray!"** it breathed out eight intertwined, multicolored beams of shimmering light at Viola.

" **Reflect!** " Viola incanted, conjuring a wall of glass shards in front of her that shot the breath attack back at the cat.

"Tsch! **Spellbreaker!** " The cat roared, countering the rebounded spell. It prepared to cast another spell, but Viola preempted it with an attack of her own.

" **Slow!** " She cast on her opponent even as she used her Outsider powers to cast a spatial cut directly on the cat's position. However, despite its reduced time perception caused by her spell it somehow still managed to teleport to safety in time.

" **Triple Accel!** " The cat cast as it rematerialized to negate the effect of Viola's slow, before immediately following up with an attack spell " **Ultima!** "

A bubble of magical destruction expanded out from the cat even as it transformed into lightning and slammed itself against Viola's still-present wall of **Reflect** shards. The destructive spell hit multiple shards at once and began bouncing off one to the other repeatedly, until with the sound of breaking glass, the whole collection of shards shattered leaving the cat standing where they had floated unscathed.

_Damn it! I can't seem to hurt him at all._ Viola cursed to herself. _I guess it's time to change tactics._

With that in mind, she proceeded to shift into her Outsider form and lashed out at the enemy with a bunch of her strips with the aim to wrap them around the cat to choke it into submission.

The cat chuckled, demonstrating great agility by leaping in all directions to evade the strips.

"Getting serious now? Well, let me follow suit."

_I was right after all._ Viola thought to herself in vindication as the cat followed her example, transforming into a black hole with a brightly glowing golden eye at its center, from which a multitude of trailing limbs moved in erratic patterns.

Now that they had both assumed their true forms, their sets of tentacles proceeded to begin engaging in a strange tangled battle as Viola's paper thin tentacles clashed with the other Outsider's tendrils of dark energy.

At the same time, the dark hole-shaped Outsider shot a beam of dark energy out from its central eye at Viola, who simply shifted her mass so that the beam fired through a hole she'd created in her body. However, her opponent seemed to expect it after her first evasion, the next beam branching into a mass of thinner beams that arced back to hit her from the back. Viola however was prepared for this as well and had filled the space around her with small **Reflect** shards that proceeded to deflect the beams safely away from her.

" **Oh good defense! But let's see how long it'll last?** " The former cat said, as he began to sling a storm of beams and spells at Viola.

She tried to disentangle some of her tentacles to form a makeshift shell around herself, but her opponent was having none of it and used his own tendrils to keep her restrained. With that option out of play, she desperately began seeding more **Reflect** shards around herself while also warping the space around her body. To the outside observer, this had the combined effect of making her look like some kind of unsightly mess of shimmering twisted space.

Not that it did her any good as the barrage of powerful attacks slowly but surely began to chip away at her defenses.

Just as they were about to fail altogether, Ellen teleported in front of Viola and swept aside the incoming spells and beams with a wave of her arm, sending them slamming harmlessly into the still oddly pristine walls of her room.

"Mother, stop." Ellen demanded of the black hole-shaped Outsider.

_Yup, I was totally right about who the cat was._ Viola thought while giving herself a mental pat on the back.

"I won't have you cheapen Viola's decision by forcing it." Ellen declared firmly.

Ellen's apparent mother huffed in annoyance but compiled and released Viola's tentacles and returned to its favored form as a cat.

"Whatever you say Ellen." The cat said sulkily. "I guess it's a draw. Hmm…. I guess this also frees me and your lady love from our little pact from earlier."

Ellen nodded.

"You planned it?"

"Just thought it up. Considering how quickly things developed did you honestly think I had time for a plan?"

"I wouldn't put it past you," the cat said with a smirk. "Anyways, back to the point, I don't get where you're coming from. All that really matters is the girl accepts your hand right? Who cares what methods we use to get her to agree?"

"Mother! Stop looking at this from the perspective of an Outsider for a minute and you'll get it." Ellen chided. "Outsiders may only care about outcomes and pacts, but Viola was until only recently human. That means to her, freedom of choice still matters a great deal."

Viola barely paid the argument any mind, beyond having used the cue of being freed to transform back into her human form. Most of her attention was on what Ellen had said. She'd basically said that she would respect Viola's decision no matter what.

_How romantic._ The blonde gushed.

Or at least the lovestruck part of her did.

The majority of her mind was trying to make sense of what had happened to her since coming into the House. It had been no doubt what she wanted to do, but it was hard trying to justify it to herself.

_Everything that's happened. All the fighting, all the death. All of it was pointless! Well, it's time I changed that and give it all meaning. And get my heart's deepest desire in the bargain as well._

"Yes!" Viola shouted over the still ongoing parent-child squabble.

The two other Outsiders both froze at that and turned to look at her in surprise. Ellen recovered first and in a hesitant-but-excited voice asked, "C-Could you repeat that?"

"Yes," Viola said with conviction. "I'd be glad to marry you Ellen."

Without warning Viola found himself with an armful of happy woman as Ellen teleported right up to her and grabbed hold of her face.

"There's no taking that back," Ellen told her, her golden eyes overflowing with love.

"Wouldn't think of it," Viola replied as she pulled Ellen in for a kiss.

* * *

**There you have it folks, the last chapter of this fic. Just the epilogue left and we'll be all done.**

**AllForFire: Last stretch inbound!~^^**

**This chapter was fun to write. It allowed me to mix in fluff, something I'm still learning to write, and action, which I'm also working on, into what I hope is a passable finale. I liked it but I don't know if you'll agree. Well, let me know your opinion in a review.**

**Beyond that all I can say is till next time, peace out!**


	27. Epilogue: Happy Days

**Disclaimer: I don't own Witch's House or any of the IPs from which my imported characters originate.**

**Why Cute Witches Should Deal With Outsiders (And Their Lairs)**

**Epilogue: Happy Days**

**Beta: AllForFire**

* * *

Viola stood in a corner of the House's cellar looking over a pile of corpses as Marcus sifted through them.

It had been years since the fateful night she had first physically set foot into the Witch's House and agreed to marry Ellen. And it had taken all those years of happy marriage for her and Ellen to decide what to do with her old team leader.

It had taken many nights of sometimes heated arguments, and passionate makeup sex afterwards, for them to finally decide to turn him into a new type of monster to add to the House's roster of defenders.

They had turned him into a Ghoul. A creature hat was somewhere between the Zombies who were reduced to mindless, featureless trash mobs and the Lost who retained the majority of their skills but none of their personality. However, unlike the Lost who are essentially reanimated intruders whose wills were suppressed but are otherwise fully conscious, the Ghouls' personality were stripped away and only their skills kept. The loss of personality did however reduce their ability to use those skills by about 20% though, but Ellen and Viola felt the loss was worth it to punish the useful but overly irksome individuals they intended to fill the ranks of this minion type.

These Ghouls looked like animated, emaciated corpses with dirty disheveled hair and skin stretched tight over a skeletal frame that was still dressed in the clothes and armed with the weapons they used in life, so as to complement their retained abilities. This was in turn further enhanced by a degree of superhuman strength granted by their new undead nature.

Not that it was helping the Ghoulified Marcus now as he dragged out his latest choice for an addition to his race's ranks from the pile of dead intruders.

"Hans, go help him please." Viola told her old friend who Ellen had assigned to serve as her bodyguard.

Instead of obeying her order however the Lost only made a negative sound from his sewed-up lips that Viola interpreted as him pointing out that Ellen had told him to keep a watchful eye on her security and he couldn't do it if he was busy dragging dead bodies around.

Viola couldn't help but sigh in exasperation at the statement. She appreciated the concern for her wellbeing Ellen was demonstrating by sending Hans along with her, but she was an Outsider in her own right damn it! Surely she could manage to keep herself safe! But no! Ellen would hear none of it and had insisted. Knowing how stubborn her wife could be, Viola had decided to just let it be.

The blonde was dragged out of her thoughts when Marcus grunted and pointed eagerly at the four corpses he'd arrayed in front of her.

"These are the ones you want?" She asked the Ghoul and received a nod in return.

As she gathered her powers for the reanimation and transformation, Viola took a moment to examine the bodies.

The one to her far left was that of a petite girl with short dark purple hair, violet eyes, and pale skin dressed in a sailor fuku with a purple collar and skirt. Even in death she was gripping a wicked-looking glaive. Viola remembered with a grimace how annoying the particular group of intruders that this girl had been a part of were when they had first stormed the House. They had shouted about love and justice and some such at every turn, even as the House's minions dropped them like flies. They had even managed it all the way to Puppetmaster and had annoyed the usually jovial Outsider. So much so that he'd revealed his true form and massacred the surviving members in some rather impressive ways that had Ellen taking notes.

_Who knew Puppetmaster was such a expert in crucifixion?_ Viola mused as she recalled the fond memories of exchanging notes with the other Outsider in the aftermath of that raid.

Setting aside the trip down memory lane for now, Viola observed that the next body belonged to a little girl with green eyes, a small horn on her forehead, and blue hair cropped above her shoulders with a ribbon tied into a large bow on top. She had been wearing a red turtleneck and pink bodysuit, loose yellow pants that gathered at the ankles, a yellow chest plate connected to a belt around her waist that had pair ornamental wings she wears at the back, purple socks and white ankle-boots. Despite her overly elaborate outfit, which _should_ have left an impression, Viola could barely recall who this girl was. That could only mean she had never made it particularly far into the House and thus hadn't had a chance to make much of one.

_That being the case I wonder why Marcus would pick her? Well, he must have his reasons._ Viola concluded with a shrug before moving on to the next corpse.

It was that of a man in his early thirties with a muscular build, white hair, and tanned skin. He was dressed in black body armor over which he wore a red coat.

_Oh! The man who could conjure mystical swords on the fly? I approve!_ Viola noted with a smile as she recalled how he had set the record for best solo run of the House ever. Not that he made it further than the Library before Hazel took him out through the liberal use of bombardment magic.

That smile faded though as she spotted Marcus' last pick. It was a massive set of powered armor that was covered in dents and rents with a relatively small lion head shield on its left hand and its left gripping a large warhammer with rockets built into its back.

She still remembered the group this man had been part of. They had made it all the way to the Master Bedroom after all. And interrupted her and Ellen in bed! She was so mad about that, she'd taken special pleasure in taking them down. Oh! The screams of that teleporting British bitch as she tore her apart limb from limb still brought a smile to her face.

_Okay, so maybe it's not such a bad choice after all. They did make it all the way during their run of the House._ Viola conceded as she finished working the spells required to reanimate the bodies as Ghouls.

Slowly, what remained of the flesh on the four bodies became desiccated, becoming stretched tightly over their bones even as they slowly began to stagger to their feet.

"There you go Marcus," Viola told her old team leader cheerfully. "Treat your new friends well, okay?"

The Ghoul just nodded and growled at her gratefully.

"No need for thanks. Just doing my duty as your boss is all," Viola offered him with a pleasant smile. "Well, now that I'm done though I'm gonna get a move on. See you, Marcus."

Marcus offered her a wave that she returned as she turned to leave, Hans trailing after her dutifully.

* * *

"Sorry about taking you away from your duties Hans," Viola told her old friend as they walked the halls of the mansion's first floor. "I know you like hunting intruders."

Hans just grunted in reply.

"Well, even if you don't mind I still want to apologize. I mean, there's an intrusion going on right now but instead of helping the other sniper out by hunting and harassing the trespassers, you're stuck being my bodyguard."

The Lost just shrugged.

"You're really too easy going some-" Viola cut off, tensing as she sensed a foreign presence approaching even as Hans readied his musket.

A moment later, a little girl dressed up like little red riding hood and carrying a scythe zoomed past while being pursued by Zombies.

Viola nodded and Hans took a step past her and into the crowd of Zombies, who parted to allow his passage, and raised his musket at the girl fleeing at superhuman speeds.

The moment the Lost's attention focused on her, the little girl, who by now had impressively gotten far enough away to be only barely visible, froze and began to start speaking gibberish. If Viola's preternatural hearing was to be believed, she was muttering nonsense about cookies.

_Her fondest desire is cookies? What is she? An idiot?_ Viola thought derisively as Hans exploited the distraction created by his passive ability to induce hallucinations to put a bullet in the girl's head.

"Good shot," Viola complimented the sniper. "And thanks for helping clear out the trash."

Hans offered a pleased moan.

"Well now that the excitement is over let's go visit Hazel shall we?"

The Lost just nodded and fell in behind Viola as she continued their journey to the Library.

* * *

As it turned out, visiting Hazel was rather dull. As always Hazel was more interested in reading her books then conversation so after some basic pleasantries, Viola had just decided to move on and visit Frank instead.

"Honestly Frank, an oral test?" Viola sighed exasperatedly. "I know your minions are animated sex dolls, but really?"

Yes, the minions that Frank had chosen to serve as his adds were indeed animated sex dolls. Dolls that had been pulled directly from Ellen's doll collection no less. All of which rather suspiciously had blonde hair and green eyes.

The less said about the implications of _that_ the better.

"Hey, a man's gotta have some fun ya know?" Frank, now a cute yellow teddy bear with a white belly, mouth, and inner ears, scary red eyes with black pupils, a white "X"-shaped band-aid on its navel, and a zipper on its back, replied with his typical easy going attitude.

"And dressing them up as sexy schoolgirls isn't enough?" Viola asked mentioning to one of the aforementioned dolls smiling alluringly as it pressed itself against Frank's fluffy body. It was dressed in a scandalously tight sailor uniform that nicely showed off its ample proportions.

"Nah, that's just fitting with the theme of the schoolroom you and the missus gave me to guard."

"We never said anything about the sexy bit."

"That wasn't implied when your missus gave me her old _sex dolls_?" Frank teased.

"Point." Viola admitted, reminded uncomfortably once more about how long she'd kept Ellen waiting and how thirsty for "affection" that had left her.

"So if I scored a point, can I redeem it to upgrade _Eugene_ over there?" Frank said gesturing to his minigun resting on a table to the side.

"You always ask for that and the answer will always be the same, no."

"Aw," the monstrous teddy bear whined.

* * *

On her way back to the Master Bedroom and Ellen's side, Viola made one last stop: the Hall of Mirrors. Here, trapped in the reflections, was her father.

Giving her sire a distracted wave, she focused the majority of her attention on the figure he'd summoned to stand at his side. It looked just like Hans when he was human.

"Dad, that's just lazy." The Outsider chided her father in a harsh tone. "Honestly! You're supposed to be creating bizzaro doppelgängers of people who enter your domain, not just recreate their past selves!"

" _Sorry Viola. I thought this would be appropriate considering Hans' history._ " Paul's said in the barely audible whisper that was now his voice.

"Well, it's not. Keep working on it." Viola insisted as she turned around and walked away, ignoring the crestfallen look on her father's face at her dismissive attitude towards him.

_He really should be used to it by now! It's been years!_ Viola thought to herself with a roll of her eyes.

* * *

Ellen heard the door to the Master Bedroom open and turned to offer her wife a broad, welcoming smile as she walked in with Hans shadowing her every move like the faithful bodyguard she'd ordered him to be.

"Had fun visiting your old friends?" Ellen asked her lover as she patted a spot on the couch next to her that she'd set up on one of the House's many balconies.

"Yeah," Viola said as she bent down to give the snoozing Guardian an affectionate scratch behind one of its ears. Incidentally giving Ellen a nice view of her enticing rear end in the process, something the purple haired woman showed full appreciation of.

"Like what you see?" Viola asked, amused as she sat down and immediately cuddled into Ellen's side whilst also waving in dismissal to Hans who immediately vanished from sight.

"Always." Ellen admitted.

"And I always like it when you look at me like that," Viola told her with a sensual smile.

Her wife's words and actions had set Ellen's blood on fire and was exciting her loins, so much so that she was sorely tempted to just have her way with her right there and then. Thankfully for her self-control, an explosion from the grounds below had them both turning to its source in concern.

_Why am I feeling disappointed?_ Ellen asked herself, while fighting a pout.

Ignoring that line of thought, she looked down to see a group of intruders being fended off by a pair of amorphous clouds of energy and Black Cat.

"Good job on those energy blasts, kids!" Her mother shouted, sounding immensely proud. "Keep it up and we'll have these intruders dealt with before teatime."

"Looks like it was a good idea to give the children something new to play with after all." Viola noted idly.

"Yeah, it's done their granddad a world of good too." Ellen added. "Though he'd be loathe to admit it, he's been moping around bored for weeks now."

Viola nodded with an amused smile on her beautiful face. That Black Cat was bored and in denial about it was an open secret and source of much amusement to the House's residents after all.

"These intruders are kinda unique," Viola noted after a moment of watching the fight.

Ellen honestly had to agree. They certainly were.

There was a fair-skinned young woman with long, black hair dressed in a black-buttoned vest with coattails and a single silver button on the front worn over a white, sleeveless, high-necked crop undershirt and white shorts with a zipper on the front of each leg. She was zipping around the fight like a ninja though admittedly a rather ineffective one considering how her movements were well within the range of perception of her Outsider opponents and any attempt at surprising them she made was effortlessly countered.

At least she was doing better than the fair-skinned young girl with bright golden hair worn loose that faded to pale gold at the tips, with a cowlick sticking out at the top. Her brawler style had meant she'd had to get up close to her opponents, something which had resulted in her death early on when Black Cat had casually gutted her with a swipe of his claws. Now she was nothing more than a corpse on the ground.

The teenage boy with messy blonde hair dressed up like a bargain bin knight at least had the sense after his comrades' ill-fated attempt at close combat to stay back and instead use his version of the strange power he and his compatriots seemed to possess to support them by acting as a healer. He was also their apparent leader, as he was shouting commands to his comrades.

They were actually quite sensible orders too. Unfortunately, no one seemed to be listening except for a teenage boy with long black hair with a magenta streak on the left side that tied into a ponytail ending midway down his back and was dressed in vaguely Chinese-looking clothes. Between actually listening to his leader and said leader's healing powers, he and his leader were the only ones faring anywhere close to well in this one-sided fight.

They were definitely doing better at least then a short orange haired girl whose clothing was a mix and match of some sort, with different colors and themes that came across as insane as its wearer who was jumping around like she was on crack and lashing out with the hammer weapon she was wielding at random. She had clearly been hit by some kind of confusion causing spell, though considering how effective it seemed the girl obviously wasn't in the right mind from the start. Heck, it was _so_ effective that in between lashing out randomly, she just stood there even as Black Cat and the kids used her as target practice.

"I moved the House to a new world this time," Ellen revealed as she continued to watch the intruder's desperate struggle below. "I thought we would get some new flavor."

"Good idea."

"So, any of them interesting enough to keep?"

"Nah," Viola said sounding disappointed. "They're all just trash who won't even make it into the mansion proper. They can become Zombies once they're dead."

"There was one more-"

"The girl with the red hood?" Viola asked. "I ran into her in the halls just now. She's a cookie obsessed idiot, so no to her too."

"I forgot about that one," Ellen said with a shake of her head. Cookies? Really? "I wasn't talking about her. There was this magic swordswoman with a rapier in the team down there apparently. She didn't come today though because of some business she had to handle. From what I could get by reading their minds, she'd make a good Ghoul."

"Weiss Schnee, huh?" Viola said contemplatively as she read the minds of the intruders.

"Yes, that's her name I think."

"Hmm, I think she reminds me a little of the White Queen actually." Viola said after some thought.

"They're analogues if I remember correctly."

"Then let's not risk it." Viola said warily. "We wouldn't want to offend one of our fellow Outsiders."

"Fair enough," Ellen agreed. While the White Queen wasn't all that much of a threat on her own, what with the House having no less than six Outsiders in residence, earning a reputation for offending their brethren would harm their reputation as a neutral ground.

"Enough talk about politics or pathetic intruders," Viola said suddenly as she turned and pushed Ellen flat on to the cushions of the couch.

Crawling on top of her, the blonde leaned down to whisper directly into Ellen's ear.

"Why don't we take advantage of the fact that the kids and their granddad is busy to have some fun of our own?"

Ellen hummed for a moment in consideration, before speaking in a voice that was practically dripping with lust, "And what kind of fun do you have in mind, wife?"

Viola's response was to slip her hands up to cup Ellen's breasts over her clothes and give them a squeeze.

"What do you think?" Viola said in a sultry voice.

Ellen licked her lips and as she leaned up to give her lover a kiss.

"I guess it's time for us to expand our brood a little," the mistress of the Witch's House said as she pulled back from their long kiss.

Viola's only reply was to pull her wife into another deep kiss.

* * *

**And that's a wrap folks!**

**It's been a fun ride writing this and I hope it's been just as fun for you guys reading it.**

**AllForFire: Eeeyyyup!~^^**

**Before I do a self-appraisal of my writing in this fic and ask for your opinion if it's correct, I would like to address something in this epilogue. Namely, the terrible treatment of the expys of popular characters by Ellen and Viola. Now please remember that they are Outsiders and ones that mortals would generally call evil at that. They aren't gonna play nice with any heroes who come to try and slay them, hence the horrific treatment of all those beloved characters. Their treatment does not translate into my own personal feelings about those characters. Well, not all of them anyways. Some of them I actually quite like. Others? Well, let's just say I would rather not waste words here explaining my burning dislike.**

**Now onto my self-appraisal...**

**I would give this fic a B+ I think. Overall, it's pretty middling mainly due to a weak, often railroaded plot. Even if that was wholly deliberate. The fic is a bit of a commentary (is that even the word to use here?) (AllForFire: Meta-commentary, methinks.) on railroading in fics in general, but I don't think I pulled it off well. I did however make an effort to give my characters some depth, so that scores a little better. Well, here's hoping I do better in my next project.**

**I hope to see all you readers in that undetermined future project too. So until then, peace out.**

**AllForFire: See you all next time!**


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